Fate's Game
by Cloud802
Summary: One who could give up everything to save the people he loves, an interesting man to be sure. Shirou/Saber
1. Chapter 1

"You cannot defeat Satan."

Prologue:

She wondered when it happened.

She felt so listless, floating there as if she were nothing.

Bedivere held hope that she would continue dreaming, but this was no dream.

It couldn't be Avalon, it was famed as a paradise.

She felt no pain, she felt no wounds, but...

She also did not feel at all.

Vaguely, she began to wonder if she did something wrong.

No, she told herself, she could not have taken the wrong course of action. After all, the 'Holy Grail', if it could be called holy, had been destroyed.

She returned and died in front of Bedivere, knowing that her precious weapon had been returned to its home, and that the one she loved would be happy.

She knew she would be in Avalon soon, and she would wait for him...

But...

Why was she floating like this?

Why did she feel detached from herself?

She heard a man's voice.

**"I am the bone of my sword.**"

And all was quiet once more.

Strange...

**Day 1: Projection**

"Shirou..."

"Mmrf..."

The red headed boy pushed his face further into his arms, trying to ignore the outside intrusion that was causing him trouble.

"Shirou..."

It was the voice of an angel...

"Get up you lazy oaf!"

No, it was more like the devil. He slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself up. He seemed to be the only one left in the class, and outside the sun was already setting. Above him stood his best friend, Tohsaka Rin, with a glare that could stop a serial killer in their tracks. "Sorry," he said, "I must have fallen asleep during the last period."

"Yeah, I can see that!"

Why was she in such a bad mood?

"I need to talk to you!" she shouted before he could get a word in edgewise. "It's about your abilities as a mage!"

"I thought I was doing pretty good," he said simply, stooping down to retrieve his backpack and standing to face the fiery girl in front of him.

She frowned, "That's the issue, you've been doing too well."

"I didn't know there was such a thing."

They left the class together, walking down the already empty halls of the school. If Shirou didn't know any better, he thought the girl by his side looked a bit melancholy. It was a small thing, but he had known the real Rin long enough to notice it. "I've been thinking, it's already been quite some time since Saber left, about a little more than a month..."

What was she driving at?

"I told you I'm leaving for London when we graduate, I'm going to take classes and become an even better mage. My father wasn't the most affectionate man, but he did care about me and what I did, and not only that, I want to do it."

Oh, he knew exactly where this was going now. He could tell from the sound of her voice. "You want me to come with you," he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Her face instantly reddened, and she looked down on him as if he were a cockroach.

He smirked to himself.

This was the real Tohsaka Rin, this was how she behaved towards people she truly favored.

"Don't be such an idiot! I didn't say I would miss you or anything! I just wanted an apprentice, and it's a good way for you to start learning some real magic, as well as enhance the magic you already have!"

"Projection is real magic," he snipped back.

"It's not effective!"

They stopped walking, she was pissed now. She didn't want him using projection at all. "Listen... Rin." He held up his hands and flexed both of them, so that she could see. "I know that for normal magi projection isn't a very effective tool, but... I don't feel normal. I don't feel special either, but I think projection is something that I can do with no problem. You said it yourself, I should be a paraplegic by now, but I'm not."

The girl gritted her teeth and let her shoulders slump a little, indication that she was backing out of the argument, "I suppose that is true, but it still wouldn't hurt to learn other magic too."

"I'm no good at all, but... I could try."

Her mood brightened instantly. He did not say anything, but he knew that she was afraid he would say no, afraid that he would continue to only use projection, but that wasn't the case. As they continued walking in silence he grasped his left arm tightly, the arm that the pieces of Avalon had been transplanted to. It ached slightly, but that was a given, he had literally used his magic to piece it back together and push it out of himself. His arm was still perfectly fine and usable.

But for the rest of his life it would slightly ache, and when he grew old he would probably develop arthritis.

He did not find it taxing however.

That ache was a reminder of Avalon.

That ache was a reminder that he and King Arturia had been in love.

That ache was a precious memory.

"You better hurry Shirou, or I'll leave you behind!"

"S... sorry!"

* * *

She knew this feeling...

This feeling of complete emptiness and worthlessness.

It was what she had to face every time she went back to her body.

Every time that she felt that blood drip on the ground.

Every time that she saw those bodies around her.

Every time that she felt herself dying, only to be pulled back at the last second and sent to another time to fight for that monstrous Holy Grail.

However, this time it was different.

There were no bodies.

There was no hill.

There was no blood.

It was simply nothing.

This was not the deal she had arranged for. She had died in what she assumed was peace. She felt angry, was the Holy Grail not destroyed at her hands?! Was she not a great king who did her best, who, despite it all, still thought of the greater good, still thought of her people?!

It was as Shirou said, she had never been happy for herself, she was always...

If she had a mouth, she would have laughed at the irony.

She reprimanded Shirou for only caring about others...

While she, the king of Britain...

Was exactly the same.

In that moment, she realized that they saved each other. Not from an outside threat, but from themselves. They were both on a sure path to self destruction at the rate they were going, and it couldn't have turned out for the better. When she met him he was simply her master, but as she slept in this limbo, she realized what she should have known from the beginning.

He was Emiya Shirou.

**"Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."**

* * *

"Trace on."

His mind was the first thing to blank. His stomach was full with Rin's delicious cooking, and his mind was sharpened from the amusement Fuji-nee and Ilya brought to the table, so he went to Rin's room, and they continued their lessons.

"Excellent," said Rin, a smile on her face, sitting down next to him on her bed.

She looked extremely happy.

This girl loved magic, magic was her life.

He handed her the lamp. With no hesitation, she threw it to the ground as if to break it, but it simply bounced and made a light dent in the floor boards, as if she had dropped something heavy. "You're getting much better at this," she said, still smiling, "To be honest, I'm actually not that nervous about you learning different magic. You don't have a crest to pass down, but that isn't an issue."

"Rin..."

"What is it?"

"Something has been bugging me. Why is projection magic not an issue for me?"

She nodded, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. "It's been bugging me as well."

They sat in silence for a moment, pondering over the question which had been unspoken until now. Shirou was the first to break this silence. "I mean, when I was fighting Kirei I projected Avalon. It was the shield it was meant to be, but it wasn't right, I have a feeling that it wouldn't be able to get rid of the effects of my projection."

"I assumed it was Avalon that was preventing projection from harming your body."

"I want to try it again, I need to make sure."

Rin shook her head, "No, absolutely not. Projection is way too risky and uses up too much magical energy."

She was still adamant about it.

"I already told you," said Shirou, "I don't think projection is something that can harm me. What'll hurt if we only try it once? I won't even summon Caliburn or anything like that. I'll summon the swords I saw Archer use on that first night."

Rin gritted her teeth, trying to come up with a suitable argument that would make the persistent sword mage back off.

"Listen Rin. I don't want to be helpless anymore. The Holy Grail War, Saber, those fights, it all came out of nowhere, I was hardly what you could call prepared for it. As much as I loved my father, he didn't do all that he could for me, but you're different Rin, I'm your apprentice now, you should be allowed to know my strengths and weaknesses."

She stayed silent, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I couldn't help Saber, I don't blame myself, and I'm not depressed, maybe it was time for her to go, maybe I could have kept her with me if I was powerful enough, but it doesn't make a difference because she's already gone. I wasn't prepared, and because of that I let you guys down a lot. Archer was killed because of my lack of skill as a mage, and a lot of other things happened that I could have prevented. Emiya Kiritsugu left a valuable lesson to me, and I was stupid to have not seen it from the start.

"He caused that fire, it was not an accident, the Holy Grail had to be destroyed, he did what had to be done. He sacrificed the lives of the few to save the many, that's how he chose to live his life. I chose a different path, I wanted a path where everyone could be happy, where I could save everyone, but it's an impossible feat. I'm only one person, even if I become powerful I can only do so much, and I can only be in one place at any given time.

"However, that doesn't mean I'll stop doing what I'm doing. I'll become a mage, and I'll use that power to help people, because I couldn't do it the first time, so I'll try even harder next time."

Shirou had changed, Rin had to admit defeat, what could she possibly say to something like that? Shirou had been fooling himself with his ideal, he had wanted to save everyone, but in pursuing such a path he had forgotten about his own happiness. Now, here they were, and Rin, the powerful mage, the ruthless and kind girl who pursued what she wanted, was in awe of the man in front of her. She couldn't help but admire him, without even realizing it...

He had already reached his ideal.

"Um... listen Shirou... just once, and if it doesn't work then we'll call it quits for the night, and you have to promise me to never use projection again, okay?"

Her voice was filled with concern for her friend.

Shirou's heart felt warm.

"Okay, I promise."

"Just once."

"Got it."

Emiya Shirou closed his eyes, knowing that the conversation had reached its end for the moment. He felt Rin's weight leave the bed, and knew that she was trying to give him some space.

He stood from the bed slowly, still with his eyes shut.

It was a long time ago, so he couldn't quite remember perfectly what Archer's swords had looked like.

He took a deep breath, shutting out his surroundings and the outside world.

Rin's room was the first thing to disappear.

He still felt her presence across from him for a moment, but then she vanished.

As far as Shirou was concerned, he was the only person and thing in the entire world.

"Trace, on."

It left his mouth naturally, and then he saw the circuit, one of many contained in his body.

He had only done projection a few times, and all of those times were while he was under pressure, this was a completely different ball game.

Now that the circuit was built he had one thing left to do.

"Build, composition, recall."

With the world shut out, and Archer's swords being the only thing his mind cared about at the moment, it was much easier to remember what they looked like.

Twin blades, Yin and Yang.

For some reason, their names entered his mind naturally, Kanshou and Bakuya...

He wondered vaguely who this Noble Phantasm had once belonged to, but the thought quickly faded, as if it had stayed it would have interrupted his concentration.

The circuit clicked.

The hammers in the back of his head knocked into his subconscious.

"Shirou..." the whisper was slight, and he could barely hear it.

* * *

She thought she did not have a body, but she could feel limbs.

She thought she had no eyes, but she could see it.

It was blank, a limbo, but she could see nonetheless.

**"I have created over a thousand blades."**

**"Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain."**

Her fingers were the first things that moved.

Her lungs opened and she gasped for air.

That voice.

* * *

Rin wanted to say something, but she could only whisper his name, he was in what mages called the Ripped Mind state.

The one moment of concentration in which the entire world is shut out and only the magic matters.

Mages were rare because of one simple fact.

The concentration required for magic was beyond basic human understanding.

This was what monks called 'Reaching Enlightenment'.

When she had first met Shirou he was an amateur mage who didn't know any better, but the man in front of her was a completely different story.

He was in that one moment...

Those few seconds in which a magic caster is one with themselves.

She was holding her breath, waiting.

* * *

She fell.

She didn't know for how long, but it felt as if she were thrown from the castle walls, or off the roof of a tall sky scraper.

And yet she was not afraid of death, for she had already been killed by what were once her allies.

Betrayal, hatred, scorn...

She held no contempt for the ones who had attacked her, she felt it was justice for them.

And she regretted sacrificing those villages.

She was no longer the emotionless and noble king.

Shirou had turned her into something else entirely.

**"Withstood pain to create many weapons."**

* * *

Only a few seconds had passed, but it felt more like an eternity.

* * *

Life...

She knew this feeling.

She was alive!

**"I have no regrets, this is the only path!"**

* * *

Shirou's eyes snapped open.

Rin gasped, the swords in his hand, and...

A single sentence escaped her, "It... can't be..."

* * *

She reached solid ground.

It felt natural, as if she belonged there.

Her armor weighed down her shoulders, her sword Excalibur rested in its sheath, Avalon, both strapped at her side.

She took a deep breath.

It was a comfortable feeling.

She felt the lady of the lake was smiling for some reason, though it only escaped her.

_You are the true owner of that sword Arturia, use it well._

**"My whole life is..."**

* * *

"Saber?" Rin breathed.

In Shirou's hands were Archer's swords, but even more amazing...

The servent Saber stood behind him at the foot of Rin's bed, looking as glorious as the night she had disappeared from their world in that bloody fight.

Everything went silent.

And the three simply stood there...

Waiting for reality to shatter around them...

The sheer fact that Saber was there was completely impossible in itself.

Only high level mages could summon Servents of their own will and energy, and even then, it only lasted but a few seconds.

Saber had been standing behind Shirou for what was bordering on two minutes now, and it did not look like she would disappear any time soon.

It must have been a dream, it couldn't have been anything else.

Shirou was afraid to turn and look, the swords fell from his hand and faded away.

His body felt fine, and the projection obviously had no effect on him.

He felt her presence, he felt her standing there...

He heard Rin breathe the woman's name...

And yet he could not bring himself to hope, to believe.

He was not sad when she had to go, he had known that death was waiting for her on that very hill. He knew that she couldn't have possibly stayed with them, no matter how much he had wished it to be so. On that final night they said their goodbyes to each other in the darkness of his room, desperately clinging to what they knew was going to leave them in a matter of a few hours.

And when she had parted with him...

**_Shirou, I love you._**

No, he was not sad. He had made her happy, and she had made him happy. They had saved each other, and had learned to save others.

He swallowed, though his mouth was dry and there was no saliva.

"Shirou."

She said his name...

Her voice was louder than Rin's, more firm, and a bit less shocked.

He still couldn't believe, this had to be a dream.

He heard the withdraw of magical energy, and he felt the presence of the king's noble phantasms fade away.

He felt a pair of soft and warm arms wrapped around him.

"I don't know what's happening," he said softly.

Rin looked pale.

She had felt the presence of Shirou's true magic...

That was why he could project without issue...

That was why, even though he almost killed himself every time, he could preform magic without his switch.

That was why, even though she was more experianced than him, the sheer raw energy that Shirou emmited was so much greater than hers.

He wasn't even using mana from his own body.

She gritted her teeth as the pieces fell into place around her, not like a puzzle, more like a toppling tower. The very foundation of everything that Rin had believed in up until that point was shattered mercilessly.

'Reality Marble,' she thought to herself.

For some reason she remembered her own servent, Archer.

Then the puzzle was extended.

She remembered the night Archer fought Lancer, those swords that he seemingly pulled from nowhere.

Why he used blades instead of a bow.

She remembered watching Shirou from afar during his archery practice.

She remembered every target he hit, the intense concentration.

The selfless need to help others around him...

The fire in his eyes...

The fight in his body...

The light in his soul.

'Archer...' was the second puzzle's solution.

Rin felt light headed.

She wasn't one to faint, but the sudden revalations had caught her off guard.

She couldn't say anything about this...

Better to let him be ignorant.

Yes, it would only worry him if she were to tell him such trivial things.

After all, servents were summoned from all places in the wheel of time, it only made sense.

But that only multiplied her own worry.

Saber was here, and if she herself taught Shirou how to use magic... was it all her fault that he ended up trashing her living room? Was it all her fault that he was a merciless cynic? Was it Tohsaka Rin's fault that Shirou's ideal was warped and twisted by the very thing he sought to admire?

She could not allow that to happen.

She would not teach him magic.

'I'm sorry Shirou, it's for your own good,' she thought.

She felt sick to her stomach, lying to the closest friend she ever had, but... what else was there to do?


	2. Chapter 2

Interval:

Rin retired when Saber and Shirou left her room. She would probably stay there for quite a while, mulling things over in her head while Servant and Master caught up with each other. If it was really true, if Shirou and Archer were one and the same... that would explain why Archer seemed so happy to have her as a master, he was glad to see a familiar face.

So it was true...

Her thoughts circled back and forth, Archer's past had come to her in her dreams while the two of them fought together, but she had never thought of connecting what he had done to Shirou.

'They're both stupid boys who think they can save everyone,' was what she had thought.

The mere fact that they had the same ideals did not make them the same person.

Now that she thought about it... the fire that Shirou never talked about... his ideals to become a hero...

He selflessly paraded about, saving as many people as he could, never stopping to take a rest and worry about his own happiness. It was never enough to save just a few people.

His body was broken and battered.

Tears reached her eyes, she did not want to remember Archer's... Shirou's suffering.

She had used a minor magic to lock it deep within her mind...

However, this was something that must be recalled if she was to have any hope of getting her thoughts straight and supporting Shirou.

He saved many people, made many people smile and thank him.

They were empty thanks, he was a hero who was never rewarded for his good deeds and hard work. One day, a man he had saved approached him, reprimanding him for being a stupid mage.

"I did not want to be saved!!" the man had shouted.

Shirou was in shock.

The man before him had wanted to be left to die.

"My wife, my child! They were already dead, I don't want to be alive!!"

A loud sound, like a gunshot, and Shirou was falling. He bled from his chest, and it was hard to breathe.

Another gunshot, and the man fell to the ground with a dead thump.

Even in death, Shirou reached out, trying to stop the man from shooting himself, but he could not, for he was dying himself.

And so he made a deal.

A dark deal with whatever entity answered.

"Give me the power to save people, and I give you my life..."

And so he became a Heroic Spirit, a slave of time, and a plaything of destiny when he died. Each time humanity nearly destroyed itself, he was summoned at the last moment. By the time he got there it was already too late. Everyone that needed to be saved was already dead. All Shirou did was mop up the remaining mess, narrowly stopping humanity from destroying itself.

He was no hero.

He was a cleaner.

The very ideal he pursued had betrayed him.

He was no longer Emiya Shirou.

But when he saw her...

He smirked.

It was a cocky smirk, but it held warmth, and a tinge of familiarity.

"It seems I've been summoned by an interesting master," he had said.

Looking back on it, when she used the first command spell to force him to obey her... it was a waste, even if it was miraculously working...

It was a waste because even though he had lost himself...

When he saw her, Tohsaka Rin...

He had felt alive again.

A small part of Emiya Shirou was revived, and he gave her a promise to protect her, not just as a servant, but as a friend.

It was an unspoken promise, but it warmed her heart.

'I cannot let that happen to Shirou,' she thought.

He would be persistent...

She recalled what he said before Saber was summoned.

**_"I wanted a path where everyone could be happy, where I could save everyone, but it's an impossible feat. I'm only one person, even if I become powerful I can only do so much, and I can only be in one place at any given time. However, that doesn't mean I'll stop doing what I'm doing."_**

She sighed and pushed her face further into her pillow.

"You big idiot."

Shirou wanted his own happiness now...

That was the one difference between him and Archer.

"Maybe that'll be enough... maybe I should teach him magic."

It was better for her to do it. She knew him better than anyone, except for Saber perhaps. If she refused he would simply seek out another teacher, he had already set out the path before him.

Still, even if she taught him magic, she would not let that happen to Emiya Shirou...

* * *

Dead silence...

Shirou felt extremely uncomfortable in this situation.

His throat was still dry, but he could not stop himself from swallowing what was clearly not there in the first place.

They sat across from each other at the dining table, kneeling down as if to have dinner. He brewed her some tea and she expressed her thanks in a quiet voice, but since that moment not a single word had been uttered. He swallowed again.

Something to break the silence... anything...

"Uh... I'm sorry," he said, his voice slightly gravelly, "I would have made you some English tea but... I didn't think you'd be coming back."

She nodded, as if agreeing with him.

If this continued the way it was going he felt like his brain would snap in half.

"How is Rin?" she asked.

"Oh... she's... doing good, why do you ask?"

"She is still staying with you..."

"Yes."

"I feel I should not intrude then."

What was she...

"OH! Oh... um, no, you're not intruding, Rin and I are still just friends..."

He could not tell, but she looked slightly relieved at that sentence.

Another long, drawn out silence followed...

It was broken by a deep growl. Saber cast her head down, as if she were ashamed of herself, "I apologize."

He smiled, "It's alright, you must be hungry. I'll whip something up for you, what are you in the mood for?"

Her face reddened, "Just... anything, as long as you're the one cooking I don't think it will be a problem."

"Y... yeah, sure."

He made his way to the kitchen. It was already ten o' clock, so he decided to go with something simple, some fish, soup, and rice. Despite there being only two of them, he cooked for three, knowing that Saber would want seconds. She never asked for more food, but her body language gave her away every time, and the time in the dojo when he joked that they would be fasting...

He shuddered, thinking about the pain she had caused him with her shinai.

'Note to self,' he thought, 'Never joke with Saber about food.'

"I missed you Shirou..."

He barely heard it.

It was a whisper, and it was probably not meant for his ears.

It still made him smile.

**Day 2: A Mage's Sword**

"I like it... let's take it."

"We are not here to claim knives Assassin."

"This is true, however, I find it is prudent to have many knives, as they tend to give out when I cut too many throats with them."

The kitchen was quiet, only the sound of the two whispering could be heard. They had began their invasion of the family's home at night, and they would wait...

Assassin was nearly giddy with anticipation

The wife was so pretty, and the daughter as well...

They would walk in and his Master would restrain the husband with a simple binding spell.

That supple flesh that he saw...

He could imagine his knife cutting through it.

He dreamed of it.

"Consider yourself lucky that this exercise is not useless to us Assassin, you get some mana out of the deal as well."

Assassin grinned, adjusting his leather coat and and fidgeting, "I'm not in it for the mana Master."

"...I noticed."

His master's voice was laced with disgust, not through his actions, he could care less about the family Assassin targeted, but he was disgusted with Assassin's methods,  
they were far too vile, and lacked tact in every sense of the word.

* * *

Shirou could not get to sleep the night before.

It wasn't that he wasn't tired, it was just that...

"Your breakfast is delicious as usual Shirou."

That the girl sitting across from him...

"I'm so glad you're back Saber," said Fujimura, "The house felt strangely empty, even with Ilya's temper."

"That's not fair!" shouted Ilya, "I just don't want you hitting Onii-chan anymore!"

"That doesn't mean you have to put sleeping pills in my orange juice! I was late for work because of you!"

Ilya smirked, "Maybe you shouldn't hit Onii-chan then."

That the girl sitting across from him...

"Would you like some more eggs Shirou?" asked Rin.

"...No thanks."

The girl sitting across from him, Saber, had slept with him peacefully last night, her arms wrapped around him, and he could not help but listen to her breathe. If he closed his eyes he was afraid she would have disappeared.

Luckily, today was only a half day at school, so he could go home, make lunch, go to sleep, and then...

Resume his training with Saber...

Training with Saber and Rin...

It had only been a month, but it felt as if it was an age since he last did that nightly routine.

Breakfast finished quickly, and Shirou departed the house with Rin, saying goodbye to Saber first, and hoping that she wouldn't vanish while he was at school.

The walk was long and quiet.

Rin seemed to have a lot on her mind.

"Shirou."

She suddenly stopped walking.

"What is it?"

He turned to her.

They were in one of the alley's in the house district, one of their usual shortcuts. No one was around it seemed, which means that whatever Rin wanted to speak to him about, it was extremely important and private. "I can't just hide this from you if I'm going to be your teacher. There are things that I still can't tell you, but I have to at least let you know about it, so you don't lose faith in me as a master."

"Rin?"

"I figured out why you can project so easily."

A moment of silence passed before she spoke again.

"You have a reality marble."

"Wh..."

Shirou's world was flipped upside down once again.

"I know, it sounds crazy, and it's forbidden magic, and I don't even know why you would have one! Maybe you were born with it, maybe it somehow got into you, but... there are only a few recorded mages with reality marbles, and all of them are either dead at the council's hands or in hiding. I've been thinking it over, and I..."

"You don't want to train me?"

"NO! No, I still want to train you. It's just going to become difficult unless we figure out what to do. First we have to figure out what you can do with it, then you need to put a clamp on it."

"You mean like a lock in my magic circuit?"

"Yes, metaphorically speaking. Magic circuits in the body are like a person's nerves, but it's a completely different system. It runs through your body like an electrical circuit that can be turned on and off with the flip of the switch."

"Whenever I cast a spell, it feels like a hammer slamming down on a gun."

She nodded, "That's understandable, you're a very straightforward person."

"Was that a compliment?"

She smirked, "Take it as you will. Anyways, you have to lock out the part of your circuit that activates the reality marble."

"But... what if I can use that magic to help people?"

She frowned, "Do you have any idea what this means Shirou?! If other magi find out you have a reality marble they will send an army after you, you won't even last a day!"

"They don't have to know."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, "Shirou, Reality Marbles are not a normal weapon. If you lock it out you can still use it to project with ease, because it will still give you mana, but the problem is the reality marble's ability."

"It's ability?"

"Yes, there has not been a single recorded reality marble that has been used without harm to innocents. A reality marble lives up to its name in that it is a world created by the caster's mind and put into our reality."

"So it's basically just an extreme form of projection."

"Essentially yes, however, it is so powerful and so dangerous that it's forbidden to use it. Projection is only frowned upon because it is inefficient and difficult, but possessing a reality marble is a crime punishable by death."

"Why?"

"To activate a reality marble you have to feed it a good amount of your body's mana, or, in cases where the caster is not so kind, a sacrifice for odo. When the reality marble is cast it bends and burns the reality around the caster and anyone within range to suit the caster's desires. The problem comes after the casting. People think, I want this reality to hold weapons.' and it does, but..."

"But what?"

"They are uncontrollable, they attack anyone in range but the master themselves, and most reality marbles even go outside their range, harming people outside of the circle where reality is distorted and changed."

* * *

It bugged Shirou even after getting home from school and sitting down for dinner. Sakura and Fuji-nee did not drop by, which left him with Rin, Ilya, and Saber at the dinner table. The meal was quiet, and they finished quickly. It wasn't until they were done eating that Shirou spoke, "Saber, I'd like to keep on training with you... if that's okay."

The smile she gave him in that moment was absolutely dazzling, "Of course."

Before he knew it they were in the dojo, with Ilya sitting at the door while they stared each other down.

"Saber," he said before they started.

"Hm?"

"Our last few sessions didn't go so well, you kept pulling your attacks back and keeping your distance."

Huh... he didn't know he missed seeing her blush that much. "I was..."

Her explanation fell short, he knew exactly what she was doing at the time. He smirked, "I'd like you to train me as you did before that. If you can't even beat me up in the dojo how do you expect us to get any better at that as well?" He avoided mentioning the actual subject, for Ilya was now listening intently, curious as to what her surrogate older brother and sister were talking about.

"Well, I had certainly thought about it..." Red as a cherry, "However, what does something like that have to do with swords?"

He smirked, "I just have a feeling that if you start wailing on me again it'll be easier to make progress in the relationship."

"...If you say so."

* * *

His body was bruised and his muscles were aching, but it felt so good he didn't care. It was in that moment that he finally accepted that Saber had returned, and maybe...

It was a small hope, but he had a feeling she wouldn't be going away again.

He no longer had qualms about Saber being in his room, even to sleep there, so after their training, and much to Ilya's disdain, she went with him to his room. It was already dark outside. "Hey Saber?" he asked, opening the sliding door to his room.

"Yes?"

"We never really got to go on a second date, did we?"

"I suppose not," she said with a smile.

"We'll have to fix that tomorrow."

Saber closed her eyes and breathed in a deep lungful of air.

They say that if you think of your dream, it will continue when you go back to sleep.

'Thank you... Bedivere, my friend,' she thought.

* * *

Saber knew her body was dead, she could feel it. However, she was here with Shirou now, and to her that was what mattered most.

Saber had fought long and hard, never giving up and never faltering, even in the end... on that hill, she was attempting to stand.

Every time she was sent back to when she was dying she tried to stand.

'These legs can still carry me,' she had thought.

'The Holy Grail, and these legs, they are the only two things I have, if one fails, surely the other will succeed.'

The holy grail had failed her, and she had departed from Shirou with three heart rending words that she never even intended to speak to him.

_**'I love you.'**_

She had destroyed that monstrous beast herself with Shirou's invaluable aid.

So when she returned, her legs were all she had left.

She stood, stabbing her sword into the ground in order to support herself. She stood with everything she had, she pushed her sword forward, stabbing it into the ground again and using it to take two steps.

Her armor shifted and made slight metallic noises when she moved.

Across the distant plains of her kingdom, she saw him.

Shirou, reaching out his hand as if to encourage her.

**_I want to go back, Britain deserved a different ruler, someone who was not me._**

**_That's stupid!_**

She coughed, and felt the warm blood coat the inside of her mouth.

Another stab into the ground, and two more steps.

Avalon was lost to her, she would surely die here.

She knew it from the beginning, but still...

Two more steps...

**_I don't want you to get hurt Saber._**

Her body ached, yet she walked.

Two more steps...

Shirou was standing there patiently, a smile on his face, holding his hand out to her.

"Shirou," she whispered.

Two more steps.

She reached out for his hand, and when he disappeared, she smiled...

She fell to her knees and coughed, blood escaped her throat and painted the ground in front of her.

"King Arthur!!"

She looked up, and on a tall white horse...

"Bedivere. You're alive."

She did not know why, but she began to cry. Perhaps because at least one had survived.

"My king, are you alright?!"

"No," she answered honestly, "I'm dying."

He knelt down to her, "We have to get you back to the village, I have to get you help!"

"Bedivere," she whispered, "Did I do well as a king?"

"Of course my liege, those traitorous dogs!"

"Do not speak of them that way." She coughed again, "No matter what they have done to me, they are still my people."

"My king..."

"Please, Just... call me by my name..."

"Arth..."

"My real name..."

"What?"

She saw in Bedivere what she saw in Shirou, a loyal person.

Perhaps that is why she told him... in the plains where that battle took place, she told her only remaining knight the truth. "My name is Arturia. Bedivere, I am a woman."

Bedivere nodded, "I see."

Then, as if confirming something, he reached out to her and clasped a hand on her shoulder. "Arturia, you did well."

Saber reached out and laid her hand on his opposite shoulder as well. Even in death her grip was firm and strong, that of a warrior.

Bedivere continued, "You did all that you could for your people. That is why I knew, that even if others did not approve of your actions, I could not possibly agree with them, because you did all that one person can do."

They stayed like that for a long moment.

"Bedivere," she said softly, "You are my first true friend in this kingdom." Tears reached her eyes, "Merlin told me I would no longer be human."

"He was wrong m'lady."

Saber nodded softly, her vision was fading, "Thank you."

With those words, Saber fainted, and Bedivere, loyal to the end, took her on his horse. He began to wonder to himself. All the time that she had been king, he had never once seen her smile. They only made it so far as a forest before her condition began to significantly worsen. He laid her down at the foot of a tree. She awoke for a brief period.

"I had a strange dream Bedivere."

He told her that if she were to remember such a dream and return to sleep, that the dream would surly continue if she wished it.

She ordered him to take her sword and throw it in the lake.

For three days he hesitated, knowing that it would be the end of his king, however, it was unavoidable.

And so he returned the sword Excalibur to the lady of the lake.

When King Arturia died, she was truly smiling.

And Bedivere was not saddened by his king's death, for the first time in her whole life, she seemed like she was truly at peace with herself. He stepped forward and knelt down to her. Gently, and with the utmost respect, he undid her hair and let it fall gently past her shoulders. As Arturia's only friend, this was the least he could do for her, to let her die as a woman and a warrior, to let her die as she truly was.

From the bottom of his heart, he thanked whoever had helped her become what she was at that very moment.

* * *

Saber jolted up in the mattress, "No..."

Shirou was gone. She moved like lightning. The air around the Emiya household was thick and gross with hostile magic. Saber stopped at Rin's room first, nearly kicking down the door.

Rin was up in an instant, her usual drowsiness seemed to exist no longer, "Saber, what's wrong?"

"Shirou is gone."

"Did you check the shed?"

Saber gritted her teeth, "He is not here, I do not have to see with my own eyes to know that he is missing."

Rin reacted quickly, running to her drawer and digging out several stones, some of them still in the building process. She left the horribly incomplete ones in the rear of her drawer and followed Saber with no hesitation. Ilya met them both in the hallway just as they exited, obviously she had sensed something amiss as well. Outside in the yard, the air seemed even thicker.

"I should have known." Rin gritted her teeth, "I was so stupid, even with a reality marble, Shirou couldn't have summoned you on his own."

"Onee-chan, what are you talking about?" asked Ilya, tilting her head.

"God, how could this... no, NO!! NO!!"

"Rin, calm yourself," said Saber.

"How can you expect me to be calm?! We destroyed the Holy Grail, this shouldn't even be happening!!"

"What's going on?" asked Ilya, "Are you saying there's another Holy Grail already?"

Saber nodded, "That seems to be the case. Shirou is still in good condition, we must move quickly, and find out who is behind this." Saber gritted her teeth.

'More importantly,' thought the king, 'How did they avoid detection when I was sleeping right next to Shirou, and the boundary field did not even alarm us of an intruder?'

Saber cast these thoughts aside, it would not help to think on such things in their current predicament. From what she had gathered, this was now the sixth Holy Grail War,  
merely a month's time after the fifth.

The air in the yard did not help her to think.

It was too much to wish that Shirou just so happened to summon her here, she was foolish to assume something like that.

But still, why would she be summoned when her contract for the Holy Grail had been obliterated with her own two hands?

"Rin, you should stay behind and protect Ilya, I will find Shirou."

Rin took a deep breath and rubbed her temples, "Right... okay... please, get Shirou back."

"I will."

Saber's legs carried her away from the grounds of the Emiya mansion as fast as they were able. She was a speeding bullet, and anyone she passed would surely think that she was nothing more than a light brush of wind. She did not know if it was because of the bond she had shared with him a month ago, but she could feel Shirou, she knew exactly where he was, what condition he was in, and that he was feeling fear and anger.

The school.

A good place to hold a hostage at night, perfect for one to slip in and out carrying extra baggage.

She made it in less than ten minutes. Sensing no traps, she barreled forward onto the school grounds. Not even bothering with formality she crashed through the front door with her body weight, throwing it off its hinges with the sheer impact.

"I wouldn't take another step if I were you... Saber."

As the voice had warned her, Saber froze in her tracks.

"You made it here pretty damn fast with no command spell, and you look like you're deathly worried. Is your master already that important to you?"

Hm... her emotions were showing.

That was interesting even to Saber herself.

She would not worry on it though, it was only natural now that she had experienced what she had. "It is none of your concern... Caster, if I am correct?"

"Veeery good. Eyeballing me like that."

From the shadows of the school lobby stepped a man at least six foot five. A black cloak concealed his face, but Saber felt something strange about this man, "I could say the same for you, though the sword strapped to my waist simply gives me away."

A snide remark, it seemed Rin was rubbing off on her as well.

Excalibur's sheath Avalon was not nearly as identifiable as the sword itself, however, if she used it as a shield she would be instantly recognized as King Arthur.

"You're a smart one."

"What do you want with Shirou, why have you not killed him yet?"

"As tempting as that is, my master wants to simply make a deal with you. You have vowed to protect this kid if I am not mistaken."

"That is correct."

"Then we want to make a trade, the boy's life for yours."

She does not hesitate, "No."

"Cold, I thought you cared about him."

"I do, that is why the answer is no."

"You two are an interesting pair aren't you? You know, the Holy Grail War has been going on for three days now. I already fought Berserker, he was a rather interesting fellow. Your master is a bit late to the party Saber, and it's strange that you're the last one summoned."

"That is none of your concern. I will fight you and defeat you here."

"Don't you want to rescue him?"

"No, he will be fine on his own."

"Now I'm really curious, do you want this kid to die?"

"He will not. Come and fight me, we are wasting time."

"So edgy, alright already."

Out of all the things she expected, Caster charged for her in the blink of an eye. "Wh..."

She was caught off guard. Caster pulls a sword from his cloak. Saber barely has time to pull out Excalibur to parry and mask it with the wind and air. "An invisible sword?" sneered Caster, "You're just full of tricks aren't you?"

"A Caster who fights in close combat..." she murmured.

"That's right Saber, I know how to fight, unlike most sniveling mages where I come from!"

The sword went for her again, another death blow for her neck. She parried it with no hesitation, nor any fallback. This hypnotic dance continued for ten more blows, and Saber did not falter one single step. Caster retreated, she could tell he was smirking, even from the shadows that he favored so much.

It was true, this Caster's ability with a sword was particularly exceptional...

However, she was Saber, no one could defeat her in a clash of swords, only Hercules ever beat her, and that was through sheer brute strength and power, not through skill with a blade. Saber dropped her defensive stance. He was far away, she did not want that. She closed on him in an instant, taking the offensive and forcing him to parry and dodge her incoming blows. He could barely manage with his position, he did not know the length or structure of Saber's sword, so it was child's play to drive him into a retreating position.

Then...

Saber's chest exploded in pain.

How did he...

His hand was resting on her armor, and he simply pushed Saber back with ease.

'Why isn't my protection working? That was clearly magic, I felt the pain of his lightning in my chest.'

She stepped back, weary of the strange mage in front of her.

"What's the matter Saber, aren't you famous for repelling magic?"

* * *

The chair toppled, and he thought he heard some legs break from it with the fall, though he couldn't be sure.

The classroom was empty, minus Shirou, tied to the toppled chair he had been struggling with, and an adolescent boy that looked like he just entered High School with short brown hair. The boy glared at him when he knocked the chair over, "Why you... When my father gets wind of this he'll torture you."

Shirou did not know what was happening, but he knew he was in grave danger, so he did the only thing he could do.

The boy stepped forward and kicked him in the stomach, knocking the air out of him.

Then, reaching down, he pulled the duct tape from Shirou's mouth.

"So what do you think Emiya?"

"How do you know my name."

"Oh it's a long story, but I'm sure I'll tell it to you while I'm killing you. Any last words?"

"Trace, on."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Kanshou and Bakuya cut his ties, and he was standing before the boy could do anything.

"Projection?!" The boy held his hand up, "Die!"

A projectile of pure heat fired from his hand, but Shirou was too fast. The swords fell to the ground and Shirou closed the distance between him and the boy.

A good punch to the stomach sent the boy toppling to the ground, coughing in effort to gain the air he had suddenly been robbed of. "Why don't... you just kill me?"

Shirou frowned, and then ran from the classroom.

* * *

Saber was put back on the defensive in an instant. Caster kept his distance, but this time he was pushing Saber back with his spells. She could only absorb his spells with Excalibur, but the fact that his projectiles were powerful enough to hurt her, even with her protection, was something to fear. Caster continued his push, throwing heated projectile, one after another without even uttering so much as one spell word.

'Is he casting with his thoughts?' thought Saber, 'Not even Merlin was that powerful, this man is ridiculous.'

'What is there to fear Saber?! Shouldn't you be able to nullify my magic?!"

This was not playing out in her favor, she would be quickly overwhelmed if this kept up.

"Trace, on."

Her eyes widened.

"Build..."

A single sword pierced the ground in front of Caster, causing him to flinch and hesitate. In but a moment the sword disappeared, but it was enough to make him hesitate, and it created an opening for the king. She charged forward with all her might, quickly taking back the offensive with no hesitation.

"Damn," cursed Caster.

Where had that sword come from?!

"Recall, build."

The clash of their swords prevented him from tracing the origin of the voice, but in a moment he wouldn't have to. "What, your master?!"

Shirou jumped from the school hall, charging for Caster's flank without any hesitation in his stride.

Saber knew this fight was over.

However, Caster did not, "Hah! A master that fights?! What a joke!"

Saber continued to drive Caster back towards her approaching master. Shirou swung his Kenshou and Bakuya with a speed he never had before. She had noticed he improved in last night's training, but the way he drove at Caster was absolutely ridiculous compared to their sparring in the dojo.

His technique was clumsy and unrefined, but the sheer power of his swing was enough to put fear into Caster's eyes. Caster barely had a split second to dive out of the way.

Shirou's swords clashed with the ground, "Tch," he clucked his tongue in annoyance.

Saber remembered.

Let's fight together, I'll protect you.

And now, she could see he was not lying when he had said those words.

The swords in his hands faded away.

"Recall, build."

In but a moment Kenshou and Bakuya returned to his grasp.

"Shirou?"

"Saber."

They nodded to each other, and before Caster could regain his bearings they closed in on him.

However, like the Caster before him, he was sly and slipped from death at their blades at the last split second.

His cloak fell to the ground, and there was not a single trace of him left in the lobby of the school.

Shirou's swords disappeared once more, and he turned to Saber.

"Shirou, when did you?"

"The moment I projected Caliburn I knew I could do this."

She recalled, he had cleaved Hercules' arm like it was butter, and she had joined him for the final strike. Even compared to the night before that fight, they were truly one with each other when they defeated Hercules.

"It seems like I will have to start going a bit harder in our practice."

Shirou could only smile in response.


	3. Chapter 3

"I thought this would happen," said Rin softly, sipping from her tea lightly. Rin, Saber, and Ilya had gathered in response to Shirou's return. The dining room was the perfect place for their meetings.

"What happened Saber?" asked Shirou, "I thought you were..." he went silent.

"I was. I died in that field, my knight, Bedivere, saw me off personally."

"Then what's happening here? Even if there's another war why would you be summoned for it?"

"I do not know."

"More importantly," Rin cut in, "Why is there another war in the first place? And a month after the fifth, they're only supposed to be about every sixty years."

"I don't think there are any real rules for this." Ilya stretches her back, "If Onii-chan ever needs my help, I'll be here."

Silence once again permeated the dining room. There was nothing to say, after all, it had happened so quickly. They were all just optimistic fools, believing that Saber had returned merely through the power of Shirou. The king's return was a miracle in itself, but was this really the price to pay for having that miracle granted? There was only one thing they could possibly do in this situation.

"Well," said Shirou, "I know what I'm going to do."

Everyone looked at him.

"Last time we destroyed the Holy Grail it was the same way my father did it, with Excalibur. If we keep doing it like that this incident will repeat over and over again.  
I've seen it with Saber, the Holy Grail tempts people into doing horrible things."

"Then," said Saber, "When it grants a wish it uses the power of people's lives for the wish."

Shirou nodded, "So, we have to find a way to permanently destroy it."

"But that's impossible, even for a servant!" shouted Rin.

Ilya closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I am afraid Rin is right."

"Why is that?" asked Shirou, "Isn't a servant the only one who can touch the Holy Grail in the first place?"

"This is true," continued the snowy girl, "But the fact of the matter is that until the Holy Grail is manifested, it doesn't show itself at all. I do not know the history very well, because I was not raised as a real Einzbern, but I know my family is the one that started this mess." She sounded bitter as she spoke. Shirou wanted to ask her what had happened and how she had found this out, but now was not the time to do so. "In order to create the grail a human vessel is needed to bring it into this world."

"What does that mean, are you talking about when Kirei took you to the temple?" asked Shirou.

Ilya nodded, "Yes, however, a normal human would not do. One would need an exceptional amount of magical energy to become a vessel for the grail. For this reason alone, the Einzbern's put into practice the creation of homunculus that could bear the grail on their shoulders."

Rin's eyes widened, "So you're..."

Ilya frowned, "Yes."

She left it at that. "So what does that mean exactly?" asked Shirou.

"Well," said Rin, "It means that the Holy Grail isn't a physical thing, it can't be destroyed, and when the physical manifestation of it is destroyed, it will just keep coming back."

"There has to be a way," mumbled Shirou.

"If there is," said Saber, "We must find it quickly."

* * *

Concentration was never really his forte until the Holy Grail War took place. Now, especially with Rin's help, he could see the magical circuits in his body easily.

"Trace, on."

His brain flared to life.

This wasn't strengthening or projection, this was something else entirely.

A simple Gandre shot, though he had never even been able to do that.

His brain heated up exponentially.

This magic was foreign.

This magic was not comfortable.

This magic was not effective in Emiya Shirou's hands.

His left hand felt like it was about to fall off, and the heat radiated and pulsed in his palm. He knew this feeling, this was what happened whenever his father had asked him to perform some simple magic. He was always useless with magic like this, probably because he grew up without knowing he had a magical circuit. However, even Rin said that anyone with a magical circuit could use magic.

His lungs hitched and he exhaled, breaking his concentration.

The hammers in the back of his mind slowly withdrew from their firing positions.

"Still no good?" asked Rin.

Shirou's eyes slowly opened to Rin's room, and Rin standing in front of him, "Nah," he said with a smile, "I was never really any good at this stuff anyways."

Rin sighed, "You're making progress, but..."

That was a long but.

Rin continued, "It's like you're a child, taking classes for the first time. Not only that, but you have no Magical Crest."

Shirou sighed, "I thought a crest was just a power boost anyways, that's the way my dad always talked about it."

Rin shook her head, "No, the Crest also helps a person grow into their abilities faster, the fact that you don't have one means your progress is slower than the average magi. I'm surprised you've made it to projection, it must be your family's specialty... whoever they were."

Shirou frowned.

"I'm sorry," said Rin, "I didn't mean to bring that up."

"It's alright, I can't really remember them. It's just... sometimes I get a bit curious, but I wouldn't know their names. I thought about asking dad if he knew, but I always hesitated."

"Hey Shirou?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget about yourself. You have to make yourself happy before you can make others happy. And you better remember, I still get to kick your butt in the dojo too, just because Saber's back doesn't mean I don't get a turn."

* * *

"Again!"

The crashing of the wooden swords echoed through the dojo.

"Again!"

Shirou felt the welts and bruises covering his body, but that did not stop him.

Another blow from Saber.

Shirou stepped back parrying it, while twisting his own body to go for Saber's mid section.

Her eyes widened and she dodged the blow.

Did he really see that opening?

He was not using any one style she had ever seen, not even Fujimura's style, Kendo. This was something else, through the practices and the battles he had been through... "Shirou, show me what you just did again."

He merely nodded.

She attacked as she did before.

Another parry.

This time, instead of going for her mid section, he went for her sword hand. She still managed to avoid it of course, her speed was far superior to his. However, the mere fact that the blow had caught her off guard was enough, "What's wrong?" asked Shirou.

Saber shook her head and smiled softly, "I think that's enough for today, we both need to save our energy, because I'm still not receiving magical energy from you."

Shirou felt heat rise to his face, and turned away, "Well, I mean..."

"No!" shouted Saber, feeling her own face redden, "I wasn't talking about that, it's just that as a mage, it seems you have still not developed enough to..."

Shirou cleared his throat, trying to regain the small amount of composure he had left, "Ah, yeah... I guess that's true..."

An awkward moment of silence followed.

"You should take a bath," muttered Saber, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah, thanks for the practice."

**Day 3: Of the Hood  
**

The hero that was always moving forward, that always pursued his ideals no matter what the cost. He was never worrying about himself, only others, and that would ultimately lead him to his downfall.

His left arm hurt, 'its' protection had left him.

He could not have simply stood by and watched that man die, so he did the only thing he could have possibly done in that situation.

He had lost his right arm once already, through his projection magic, what would it hurt to lose another arm to save the life of someone?

That was his logic.

His left arm now lay limp at his side, though he could still feel its pain from being torn apart.

It bled profusely, but it was worth it, he had saved that man's life, and he had left the object laying at the scene.

_**'I didn't want to be saved!'**_

He knew he was going to die.

His heart slowed with each passing second.

And so he made a deal.

A deal with the world that would allow him to live on as a hero.

His magic was special, even more so now.

His body ached, but he knew his swords would keep him alive.

**'I am the bone of my sword.'**

Shirou jolted up in his mattress, causing Saber to stir. He looked at the clock hanging on his wall.

5:30

He took a deep breath and looked down at the woman sleeping peacefully next to him. If she had sensed Shirou was in any immediate danger she probably would have followed his example, but it was just a nightmare, so the king's sleep was not disturbed. Without thinking about it, he reached out and placed his hand gently on her cheek. When her hair was down like this she was truly beautiful, yet she still held the air of a leader, the air of a warrior.

He smiled, "Good morning."

Her eyes were still closed, "So you could tell that I was awake?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, your breathing wasn't deep enough, and you usually snore."

She frowned, "I do not recall snoring."

Shirou smirked, "That's because you're asleep. C'mon, I'll make breakfast, Sakura and Fuji-nee are coming by, so it'll be a bit crowded."

* * *

"Good morning Senpai."

"Good morning Sakura." The dining room was already crowded, so he greeted Sakura in the kitchen instead and started helping her prepare breakfast. He cracked his neck and groaned lightly.

"Are you alright?" asked Sakura as she cut the fish, "You look sore."

"Yeah," I grumbled, "Saber's back now, and her training is doing a real number on me."

Suddenly, almost without warning, Sakura's face turned red, and she dropped the knife she was holding. She jumped back to avoid getting stabbed in the foot. "Ah! I'm sorry Senpai, I should be more careful!"

Shirou raised an eyebrow, "Are you alright?"

"Um... I..." She turned away from him, still blushing, "It's just that..."

"Just that?"

She looked nervous, she bit her bottom lip, "I saw Saber-san coming out of Senpai's room this morning."

'Is it just me or is it getting a bit hot in here?' thought Shirou.

He could hear Rin laughing from the table, "Oh ho, Emiya-kun you dog."

Fuji-nee was giving him a death glare already.

"No!" he shouted, "It's not what everyone thinks! I mean... Saber and I... It's just really complicated."

"I see no problem," said Saber calmly, sipping from her morning tea.

Shirou raised an eyebrow, "Saber?"

"It is as I said," she continued, "I see no problem with it. Shirou and I love each other, and we train together, is it not natural for us to sleep in the same room?"

'How can she say that so calmly!?' thought Shirou.

Fujimura looked like she was about to explode, Rin couldn't stop giggling, Sakura looked like she was about to catch on fire, and Ilya only smirked. Shirou had to find some way to defuse this situation fast. Fujimura's fingers began to shake around the cup she was holding, she was mad.

Very, very mad.

"I didn't raise you into some punk Emiya!!!!"

Uh oh.

"Just wait 'til I get my grandfather up here!!"

She stood from the table as if she were a storm, and had the telephone in her hand before Shirou could even blink. "NO!" he shouted, snatching the phone from her and slamming it back on the receiver, "There's absolutely no need to call the scary mob boss, there's a perfectly legitimate explanation for this!" he shouted.

"Like what!?" shouted Fujimura.

"Um... I... er... that is..."

"It happened when I was here a month ago," said Saber calmly. "I was the one to approach Shirou, not the other way around."

The one who started the situation in the first place snuffed it out as well. Fujimura froze in her tracks, "But it's..."

Saber raised an eyebrow, "Is it an issue? We are both healthy and of age."

"But you could be..." Fujimura let the sentence trail off.

Saber blushed instantly, it seemed she was perfectly comfortable with her feelings, but grew embarrassed at the mention of anything past that, "Only twice," she answered timidly.

Shirou could feel the blood drain from his face, and Fujimura was left speechless, a feat in itself.

'You just don't talk about things like that,' thought Shirou, 'And I thought she was bold in battle!'

Sakura started to fan herself.

Rin had a hand over her mouth, trying to hold in her laughter.

Fujimura did not say a single word, she simply walked back to the table, sat Japanese style, and began to drink her tea silently.

'Wow,' thought Shirou, 'Saber broke Fuji-nee.'

* * *

"I am sorry Shirou, but the destruction of the Holy Grail takes priority."

Shirou bent down, finished tying off his shoes, and opened the front door behind him while still looking at Saber, "I don't see why we can't simply go out on a date."

Saber sighed, "The war has already been going for three days Shirou, if we are to have any hope of..."

"Saber," he said with a laugh, "You're coming with me, even if I have to use a command spell," he said simply, holding up his left hand, which now had bandages wrapped around it.

She blushed, "I cannot allow you to waste a command spell on something so trivial."

"Then come with me. We'll keep an eye out for anything weird, but I want this day to be fun."

* * *

Downtown Shinto was busy, as it was on every Sunday. Shirou did not feel as awkward as he did when he last took Saber here, and he was confident that it would not end in argument either. He guided her along the street, holding her hand, and she followed wordlessly, constantly looking around her. Shirou shook his head, "Can't you just calm down?"

"No," she said bluntly, "While it is this early in the war it is risky to go with me in the day time, other masters could spot us."

Shirou pondered on this, "That's true I guess, but I don't really care about that."

"And why not?"

"Because no matter who they are, you're stronger than them."

Saber blushed and returned to her silent state, but her previous paranoia had seemed to vanish completely.

"Here, this place looks interesting," he said.

He knew he had taken her to places she didn't particularly like last time, minus the stuffed animal store, but when he took her somewhere competitive she got really into it. That was his premise this time, when they were in the dojo together, when she was in her utmost concentrative state, she was really enjoying herself. It wasn't like when she was in battle, she merely enjoyed competition. When Saber was in battle it was different, her emotions were killed, and there were no outside distractions, so she could freely cleave her enemy in two.

"You enjoyed the bowling alley last time, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"So this place should be fine," he said.

The batting cages.

Rin had already dragged him along several times, and had annihilated him each time.

When they paid they were set directly next to each other in adjacent cages, the place was set up as one would expect, and the clank of bats could be heard into the far distance. "You watched baseball back at the house right?" asked Shirou, eying her through the cage.

She looked deathly different. Her hair was let down to allow room for the helmet to fit on her head, and the baseball uniform fit her loosely, which only made her even more attractive in the mage's eyes. He swallowed deep before she answered, "Yes, I have to hit the ball with this," she said, tapping the bat on the ground as she prepared herself.

The buzzer for their cages sounded.

The balls were released with a deep sound.

Shirou reacted quickly, pummeling his own ball with as much force as he could muster.

Saber was caught off guard, and her ball hit her in the shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked.

She gritted her teeth and frowned.

"I will not lose!"

'Uh oh,' he thought.

* * *

"Well, now I know you're just good at everything," he said with a laugh, once again holding Saber's hand as they walked down the street. They spent nearly an hour and a half in the cages, and the sun was already midway in the sky. "C'mon, I'll take you someplace to eat, nothing fancy like Rin tried to pull on me last time."

Saber frowned, "I did not mean to beat you so badly."

He shrugged, "It can't be helped, I'm not even near your skill. You were a swordsman your whole life, the swords like an extension to your body, and I only just started past my prime."

"Shirou..."

"Yeah?"

They stopped walking suddenly, and Saber gently let his hand go. "I am confused," she said simply.

He frowned, "About what?"

The street around them seemed to vanish. People walked past them on the sidewalk, and their voices drowned out the everyday clutter of Shinto. "I have been thinking," she continued, "The only reason I was summoned to take part in this war was that I desired the Holy Grail to change the king of Britain. That desire has left me, and I destroyed the Holy Grail with my own two hands, so it confuses me... I am here, and I know I am no longer alive as Arturia...

"Moreover, I spoke with Rin last night, and she explained that in order to summon a servant one requires a catalyst, and the strongest catalyst is something that the servant possessed while they were alive. You no longer have Avalon, I do now, this summon makes no sense... I have no purpose in this war."

"Saber..."

"I should not be here," she said sadly, "This is more than I deserve."

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, causing her to gasp.

"Saber, it doesn't matter. There are two things that matter right now," he said softly. "The first is that you're here with me, the second is that we have to destroy the grail permanently, and as far as I'm concerned, you being here is the most important."

She tucked her head into his shoulder.

"Awww, how touching."

They both froze.

"A servant falling in love with the master, that has to be the most amusing sight I've seen in a while."

Something was not right.

The people on the street were gone, they were alone.

A woman approached them from the other end of the sidewalk, a smirk tracing her lips. Her high heels clicked loudly as she walked, and she wore a simple business attire. Her hair was looped in a tight bun, she carried a book in one hand, and the glasses she wore were sharp. "Foolish boy," she taunted them as she approached.

Saber and Shirou stepped away from each other, Saber was already in her armor, and Shirou already had several circuits in his mind turned on.

The woman stopped ten meters from where they stood, "Servents are merely tools, they will all disappear in the end, no need to treat them as human, you'll both end up dead that way."

Saber gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, "Step no further. What have you done to this street?"

"What have I done? Nothing, this is a simple trap, a boundary field that took me quite a while to set up, and I had to cooperate with some unsavory people."

"Caster," said Shirou.

"Well done, the master isn't as stupid as he looks after all. This is not an alternate reality. Think of it more as an arena, where we can fight all we want without harm to the people, sadly, we will have no audience but ourselves for today."

"That level of boundary magic is impossible."

"I think not my dear boy. It's a rather interesting little thing. It's a simple field, but people will walk around it without even realizing that they are, buses will even take alternate routes. Naturally, there will be damage left from our little squabble, but that's nothing the media can't explain away as a 'mysterious incident'."

"A master that attacks people during the day," grumbled Shirou.

The woman smirked, "You may call me Lillian."

"Emiya... Emiya Shirou."

"Ah! The victor of the previous Holy Grail War. That makes this all the better, and even the same servant."

Saber's eyes widened, "You know who I am?"

"You're the talk of the town in my circle dear. Don't worry though, I won't tell my servant Archer, nor will I play any dirty tricks, mums the word."

"Honorable of you," said Saber.

"Yes," said Lillian, frowning, "I'm afraid honor is lost on most modern mages, they fear and loathe such concepts."

"So where's your servant?" asked Shirou.

"That's what I'm wondering myself, he is several minutes late."

"I am here." A deep but soft voice sounded behind Lillian, and in but a moment a knight was standing at her side.

The knight's armor was made up of a simple leather, and he wore a brown cloak that covered his features.

"Saber, do you recognize him?"

"I am afraid not," she said, "But he is powerful, as is his Master."

"Has that stopped us before?"

"No, I suppose it hasn't."

Archer reached out to them, and in a moment, his hand was grasping a strange long bow. It was carved of wood with intricate patterns. "I did not expect Saber to be my first fight," he mused.

The fight started before Shirou could blink.

Archer fired a single arrow, and it was batted to the side as if it were a nuisance to Saber.

Shirou's magic circuits crackled with sheer power.

"Trace, on."

Kanshou and Bakuya found their home in Shirou's hands.

However, he could not charge in blindly, Archer was still at his master's side, charging for Archer now would result in the both of them double teaming him. If it came down to it he would have to find a way to make Lillian surrender her command spell. Another arrow was sent off, this time at Shirou. He found it easy to deflect.

'He's just playing with us, he wants to see if we'll make a move first,' thought Shirou.

Saber complied, she closed the distance between her and Archer with no hesitation. Archer smirked, as if that was what he was waiting for. He broke off from his Master, and Saber quickly followed, trying to close the remaining distance. They ran like feline's, nearly invisible to the naked eye. Their feet touched the ground, making no discernible noises.

Archer kicked from the ground, using his pivot foot to turn as he jumped into the air. Another arrow flew from his bow.

Another arrow deflected by Saber.

Saber knew that if she could manage to close the distance the fight would be over in an instant, the problem was that Archer was incredibly fast.

Saber was struggling to keep up.

Lillian smirked at Shirou as the chase behind her ran in circles, "You are rather interesting boy, projecting without even flinching. Isn't something numb?"

"I feel fine," said Shirou, "You should be worrying about yourself."

Without hesitation he threw Kanshou and Bakuya straight at the woman. She waved her hand and murmured in a language that he did not understand. The swords fell short and disappeared, but in the time she had defended Shirou had managed to close the distance between them. Lillian raised an eyebrow, a mage fighting in close combat was an anomaly to her, and therefore, she found it interesting. "it looks like I underestimated you," she said, barely managing to jump back and avoid his fist.

Shirou spread his feet and took a deep stance, he would allow his fists to do the talking.

He remembered Rin...

That's right.

She began teaching him martial arts as well as mage craft, Kenpo to be precise.

**_'In Kenpo, it's easy to use your opponent's weight against them, this makes it ideal for self defense, but it has another strength. In the hands of a master, the attacks can be so quick the enemy won't know what to do with themselves.'_**

He was no master, he had only been taking merciless beatings from her for after Saber had left, but he had a feeling that Lillian wouldn't be able to effectively fight with high heels on. "What kind of man are you?" snapped Lillian, "Trying to hit a girl."

"The holy grail isn't what you think it is," he said simply.

Lillian sighed, "It will grant me my wish, I have no intent to kill you boy, but I will defeat your servant."

Shirou inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.

He charged, and Lillian's eyes widened.

She held her hand out, attempting to fire a projectile, but Shirou was too fast. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her down forcefully and sending a knee into her stomach.

She coughed and attempted to pull away, but Shirou moved into a throw and pushed her over his shoulder. She went flying into the street lamp, losing her glasses and her book in the process. "What ARE you?!" she shouted, "I had heard rumors of your projection, but I thought they were just gossip!!"

Shirou's eyes narrowed, "You already know who I am, so why ask? I'm going to fight your servant, and if you try to stop me I will knock you down as many times as I need."

Lillian gritted her teeth, "Damn."

Shirou ran past her, activating the circuit inside of him.

Kanshou and Bakuya were once again in his grasp. Saber was literally chasing Archer back and forth, through circles and clashes. Every time she would get close enough to strike he would slip narrowly from her grasp and fire another arrow at her. It was becoming a frustrating game of cat and mouse. "Saber!" shouted Shirou.

She was not distracted by the shout, but she knew that Shirou had come to fight at her side. It was a strange feeling, she had never had a master fight at her side before. Yes, it was a strange feeling, but it was not uncomfortable. Saber stopped her relentless chase and Shirou stopped at her side, holding Kanshou and Bakuya. "I cannot match his speed," said Saber, "He slips away and fires his arrows. He is simply playing games with me."

Archer stopped and turned to face them, bowing to them as if out of respect, "My bow has hit marks that cannot be hit, and my hands have grasped things that cannot be grasped, of course you would not be able to catch me my dear lady."

Saber gritted her teeth.

"My Master says she knows you, but I find it FAR more interesting to face an unknown foe, don't you? It's so much more adventerous. My name dear lady... is Robin of the Hood. Robert Earl of Huntington if you want to get into the specifics."

Shirou's jaw dropped.

Saber raised an eyebrow.

"Wh... wh..."

The man, Robin Hood, laughed, "You sound surprised Emiya Shirou, but it is as I have said."

"Robin Hood? The English folk tale Robin Hood?" asked Shirou.

"Well, I'm not exactly the same," he said with a laugh, "For one, all the pish posh about losing my fortune never happened, but I did not grow up as a peasant either."

"Archer!!" shouted Lillian, running to his side and adjusting her glasses, "We have to go back, now!"

Archer pouted, "But it was just getting to the fun part."

"Now!!" she screamed.

Archer flinched.

"Should we let them go?" asked Shirou.

"I do not think they are harmful to us at this moment. Perhaps they would even become our allies."

Before they could protest, the barrier field was dropped and Archer and his Master had disappeared without a trace.

"That was... interesting," said Shirou.

"I honestly do not know what to think."


	4. Chapter 4

It was dark.

_**'Make it stop...'**_

So dark.

**_'...ake it stop.'_**

He felt sick to his stomach.

She was standing right there and there was nothing he could do to help her. Saber lay at his feet, gasping out, struggling to breathe even though her very escence was spilling onto the ground. He put a hand over his mouth, and he felt the bile coming up, but he suppressed it. This thing was not normal, and the girl had to be saved, but there was nothing he could do. His servant was out of commision, and it was only a matter of time before he collapsed from the sheer exhaustion.

**"WhaTS ThE MattER emiYA ShiROU? YOu wERE SO determINed beforE, WHat happENED..."**

He tasted blood.

This thing was once human, but no longer.

How does one defeat such a monster?

**'You cannot defeat Satan.'**

His left arm hurt.

Even with his Reality Marble he was losing.

Why...

It was the only question he could ask himself, facing the end as he was.

Why did it turn out this way?

"Let her go!!"

A flash...

Emiya Shirou awoke violently, gasping for air as if he had escaped drowning. He clutched at his chest, trying to drive out the invisible demons that had attacked him as he slept. He looked down at the sleeping form next to him and breathed a sigh of relief.

Saber was still there.

She was wide awake, looking at him with such a worried expression.

"It's fine," he answered her silent question, "Just a really bad dream is all."

**Day 4:**

"Do you want seconds Saber?" asked Shirou.

"Please!"

Shirou grinned, he had not expected her to be so enthusiastic, then again, Saber had always been a big eater in the short time he had known her. Come to think of it, had he really fallen in love with her within the span of ten days? Looking at her at that moment, the answer was obvious, of course he did, he is just a man after all. Any man would be bound to fall in love with her. Yes, this was Emiya Shirou's conclusion, she was a King, people bowed before her feet.

Hmm...

Now his thoughts were heading in a direction he did not want them to go.

"Is something wrong Shirou?"

He blushed, "No... n... nothing!!" He took the offered plate and dished her up again, trying to pull his mind from the merciless gutter.

Dammit, why did she have to be so transfixing? Only Sakura and Tohsaka were at the table with them, chatting about meaningless things while Shirou and Saber stared at each other awkwardly.

Shirou had decided to skip out on school, and the other two of the crowd followed suit, much to Fuji-nee's disappointment, especially in Sakura's case.

That was weird...

"Sakura," he interrupted the purple haired girl's conversation with the devil, "How come you stayed home from school?"

She was silent for a long moment, and then she did something completely unexpected, she glared at Saber. "I didn't think it would be polite of me to leave Senpai at the house while I went to archery practice."

Saber glanced at the purple haired girl, at first in fascination, then she returned the glare, as if to say, 'You dare challenge me to what is mine?'

'This can't end well,' thought Shirou.

"Senpai looked pale this morning, so I thought I'd stay behind to keep an eye on him, when he said he was staying home I became worried."

Saber frowned, "That is hardly productive Sakura, Tohsaka and I are here to take care of Shirou, you should head to school."

"Saber-san, it is my job to take care of Senpai if he falls ill, I cannot trust that to anyone else."

This situation was getting hostile fast. Tohsaka watched the two quarrel back and forth, as if she were watching a morning sitcom, a smirk on her face.

Saber continued, "Shirou is perfectly healthy, he just has some training to catch up on, I have been away for a month."

"You constantly beat Senpai in the dojo, every time he walks out of there he's covered in bruises!!"

Saber flinched, that one must have been a critical hit.

'Wait, why am I getting fascinated by this?!' thought Shirou, 'I have to break this up!!'

"Shirou entrusts me to him, I have to make sure he is ready, what kind of person would I be if I let him walk about with no way to defend himself?"

'Nice comeback Saber!' thought Shirou, 'Wait, what the hell am I thinking?!'

"Morning news!!!" shouted Shirou suddenly, picking up the remote and clicking on the TV. He felt helpless, it was the only way he could think to get Sakura and Saber away from each others' throats.

Luckily it worked, and the breakfast continued peacefully.

* * *

"You're doing it wrong."

Tohsaka's room was silent, save for Shirou's effort as a magus, and her caring criticism.

Shirou once again sat on her bed, and she across from him, in the small chair in front of the desk. "The elements seem to be your weakest aspect, but something is still bugging me," she said softly.

"I have questions for you too," he responded.

She huffed, "Jeez, let me evaluate you first! You'll never be a master magus unless you can take harsh criticism and punishment from your teacher!!"

"Ugh! What kind of teaching technique is that?"

"You're the one that wanted to become a mage Shirou."

"I guess that's true."

"I've been thinking, and I want to try something. The tarot readings are a no go, and I can't tell what your affinity is by simply examining you or questioning you, so I thought of a more direct approach."

"I don't like he sound of this."

"Oh, don't worry, it won't hurt... much..."

He hoped she was simply teasing him, but he was never too sure with Tohsaka. "I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing Shirou," she said softly. He did as he was told, silently shutting his eyes. "Breathe deep, I assume Kiritsugu had at least enough common sense to put you through some Breathing and Walking exercises. I want you to reach the verge of your concentration, and then I want you to hold back. You said your switch is like the hammer of a gun, I want you to pull that hammer back halfway, like you're about to shoot but aren't quite sure yet."

Shirou reached into his mind, he saw images.

"What do you see?"

They were faint, but he could make them out vaguely.

"What do you see Shirou?"

His mouth moved a few seconds after his brain processed the command, "I see Ryudou temple..."

He paused, the image was still fuzzy, but he could clearly make out his friend's temple. He recalled, it was their last battle, and Saber's final farewell. Rin did not push him, he took another breath and let it out slowly. He was now in complete control of his lungs, his heart slowed, but not to a fatal degree. His mind worked, but it was more calm and effeciant, more results, less clutter.

The imaginary thumb strained to hold the hammer at the halfway point, but it was not a strain he would give into.

"I see..."

Yes...

It was obvious all along...

His fascination with the weapon...

Why he thought Saber was even more beautiful when she fought...

What he saw whenever he drove the iron into his spine...

The hammer slammed down and his magical circuit cracked open.

His eyes slowly opened to the smiling girl sitting across from him, "So what did you see?"

"A sword."

She nodded, her smile becoming even brighter, "That's great! Then we can begin tomorrow, but for now you should go see Saber, she'll probably get jealous if I hog you for too long."

"W... what's that supposed to mean!?"

She only smirked in response.

* * *

**He was floating somewhere.**

**He didn't know where.**

**All he knew was that he had to go back, otherwise he would be lost forever.**

Emiya Shirou cursed his uselessness.

His left arm was no longer only in pain, it was completely useless, and hung limply at his side. He leaned back against the wall, taking in deep breaths and trying to recount all of the things he could have done to prevent such a disaster.

Maybe if he had kept Avalon instead of leaving it with that man...

Maybe Saber would still be alive...

He shook his head, sliding down the wall until he was sitting.

How pathetic...

He ran as far as his legs would carry him and ended up in some desecrated back alley at the rear end of the city.

"What use was that stupid deal if I can't even save Saber?" he muttered to himself, "What responded to me, what brought me back from the edge of death?"

It had happened so quickly.

Saber had seemed so relieved when he had returned with a bullet hole in his clothes, but not his body.

She ignored his hair, which was now white...

And she ignored his eyes, which were now silver...

She simply accepted that he was alive, and embraced him.

Tears fell down his cheeks, "Dammit... dammit..." he slammed the back of his head against the brick wall of the building.

The city was empty, everyone had been consumed...

Saber was dead...

Sakura was dead...

Rin was dead...

Fuji-nee...

Issei...

Mitsuzuri...

Ilya...

"Dammit..."

He could only blame himself.

"Dammit!"

He was the only one left to blame.

"DAMMIT! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! HUH?! Haven't you already taken my life!! I gave all that I am to you so I could save someone, and I couldn't save anyone!!"

He screamed at the sky in futility, trying to understand something that was beyond his grasp.

It was then that he realized something that he tried to ignore up until that very moment...

If he had simply killed her...

If he had killed her when she told him what was going on...

If he had killed her when she asked him to do so...

He could have saved everyone.

Saber would still be at his side, smiling and blushing. He wouldn't have white hair and silver eyes, Fuji-nee would still be teaching, Ilya would happily call him 'Onii-chan',  
and he wouldn't be burdened by this consuming guilt.

Children would still be playing in the park.

Husbands and wives would still be waking up in each other's arms.

So that was his ideal all along.

"Kill one to save many."

_'You can't be a superhero without making sacrifices.'_

_'Was it worth it?'_

_'Do you have any regrets?'_

_'Onii-chan...'_

_'Shirou...'_

_'Emiya-kun...'_

_'Senpai...'_

_**'...Archer...'**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Onii-chan, wake uuuuup Onii-chan."

His eyes slowly fluttered open, and he came to realize that he was in his room sleeping, and above him stood Ilya. He felt relieved, his heart slowed, and the cold sweat on his skin slowly began to receed. He eyed the clock in his room, and saw that it was time to start making dinner, "Thanks for waking me up Ilya, I probably would have slept through dinner, Saber wasn't exactly forgiving today."

"Were you having a bad dream?"

Her voice had lost all pretenses of a child, it was a serious question, and one that he would answer... "Yes, it was a bad dream."

"I think I know what you're talking about."

Her tone quickly returned to that of a younger sister, "Onii-chan, I dream that I die sometimes."

"Wh..."

"I know that it'll happen quickly, because I'm not fully human, but I'm glad I can live with you until that happens, and I sometimes think... maybe I couldn't have been so lucky if things had gone a little bit different, and I know it's true..."

"Ilya?"

"No matter what happens, don't give up, the Shirou I know would never give up, right?"

He could only nod to that enchanting smile of hers, "Of course I wouldn't give up."

"Good, because it'd make me mad if you did."

She reached out with a single hand...

And patted him on the head gently.

"Thank you... Ilya."

* * *

"Alright," he said, taking a deep breath, "Our first nightly patrol." Saber and Shirou had departed from the Emiya household after dinner, slipping out without notice and leaving a bogus note in case Sakura noticed they were gone. They walked down the street quickly, trying to get out of the housing district. They had no discernable target,  
they were merely walking around looking for anything strange. It was a nightly routine that he should have accomplished when he had first summoned Saber.

He turned to her as they walked under the bright streetlights.

Her armor was illuminated, as if she herself was shining.

"Is something wrong Shirou?"

He turned away quickly, trying to hide his blush, "No, I just noticed that you looked nice is all."

She smiled, "I see."

He took a deep breath, it was time to put what he learned from Rin to work in a real enviroment.

"Strange..." muttered Saber.

"What is it?"

"It is faint, but I can feel a slight amount of magical energy coming from you."

"R... really?!"

She frowned, "I would not become excited, it is still not nearly enough to sustain me, but it seems your training with Rin has been making substantial progress."

They continued walking, dropping the short conversation as they did so. It was nice to be chatting with Saber again, but Shirou did realize that their mission took priority at that moment.

Ten minutes later saw them at the intersection leading to the school, and Shirou stopped short of the turns.

He couldn't be too sure but...

"Shirou?"

No... it had to be...

"Shirou?"

It couldn't be anything else after all, otherwise there would not be such a strong magical presence at this intersection.

He felt an intense foreboding.

"Saber, do you feel that?"

"...Yes, the air here is heavy and stagnant."

A few moments passed in complete and utter silence. Shirou and Saber stood as still as statues, knowing that if they were to move it would be a fatal mistake on their part.  
The enemy hiding within this stagnant air was not one they should take lightly. The air became thicker and thicker, and Shirou began to find it harder to breathe. With every passing moment his lungs would ask for a bit more air, and he would give them a bit less.

A body screaming out for something that it could not have, slowly being separated from it was a torturous experience, almost as if he were locked in a tank that was slowly filling with water.

Suddenly, laughter...

Not from one person, but from many people...

No... child's laughter...

The laughter turned to crying, and the crying turned to screaming.

This was not normal, Emiya Shirou felt pressured under the weight of this atmosphere.

He turned to Saber, a light sweat appeared on her brow.

In all the time he had known her, Saber had never once sweat during battle.

He gritted his teeth, "Saber, what is this?"

The king steadied herself, pivoting her head cautiously to look for the source of their attacker, "There is only one class of hero I know who would play this coward's game... ASSASSIN!!"

With her declaration, the air became even heavier, and Shirou fell to his knees.

He recognized this feeling, this was the feeling that he was about to die, except it was magnified, ten, no... a hundred fold. He felt the cold steel of a blade against his neck, he felt the barrel of a gun pointed to the back of his skull, he felt shrapnel from an explosion pierce his heart. This was no magic, this was no trick, this was no Noble Phantasm.

No, it was Assassin's presence that was the cause of this heavy air.

It was his mere presence that caused Shirou to struggle with breathing.

He would die here...

And he would not even see it coming.

No...

He shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts, Saber was here, she would protect him, and he would protect her. They were partners, friends, lovers, there was nothing they couldn't defeat together.

Still...

What was this feeling of death?

"Hahahahahahahahahah... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! To think that the beautiful knight Saber would succumb to a person such as me!!"

There, under the street lamp not twenty meters from the couple...

A man in a top hat and a long trench coat. A mask covered his face, as expected of an assassin. The mask showed a wicked smile with no intent for mercy, and the man's posture was much the same. He came here to kill Emiya Shirou and his servant, the great knight Saber...

And he intended to succeed.

Shriou tried to concentrate on his magic circuit, but it felt like the very essence of his own life was slowly being sapped from him.

"I will protect you," swore Saber, "Try to gather your breath."

Breath...

Breath?

What about it?

Breathing and Walking.

In martial arts, breathing was often used as a catalyst to put power behind one's technique, it wasn't just about the muscle or how big you were.

Technique was what mattered the most.

Magecraft was much the same.

You couldn't cast some of the more complicated spells without proper breathing, this was where the practice Breathing and Walking came from, the ability to concentrate your mana with your breathing, tying it to one singular point.

Breathing and Walking was essential to any practicing mage, even one at Shirou's level.

However, using it to push mana into different points in your body was another beast entirely.

Masters that could knock down a cherry tree with one finger...

It took years to master such technique, and even more years to actually be able to put it into practice.

So why was he constantly hearing Rin's voice in his head, over and over again?

**'I assume Kiritsugu had at least enough common sense to put you through some Breathing and Walking exercises.'**

The fire ten years ago...

He remembered he was doing something...

Something important before the fire had started...

"Shirou? Are you alright?"

"Oh don't mind him," chided Assassin, "He'll suffocate in a few minutes, I suggest we make this quick if you want to save him."

Saber's eyes narrowed at the man with the mask, "If you harm him in any way I will make you suffer."

"Ooooo, how scary, do you really care about him so? You could simply flee and find another master after I kill him, after all, it is not impossible."

"I cannot... will not find another master, I refuse."

"...Interesting, veeeeery interesting."

Shirou was struggling for air, and Saber was running out of time to strike, the window was narrowing at an incredible speed. If she did nothing, Shirou would die, but if she charged forward and attacked the enemy, Shirou would die. 'This is why a king cannot feel emotion,' she thought sadly, 'Shirou is something I must protect, when I was a king to my country I had no such obstacle. If he were to die here... I...'

"Well?" mocked Assassin, spreading his arms, "What is your course of action?"

That mask was pissing her off, she would cleave it in two, along with his head.

Shirou found it harder and harder to breathe, but his mind wouldn't leave him alone. His mind wouldn't let him go to sleep, it kept screaming, 'MORE, MORE AIR!' Air that he could not give it...

So why did his teacher's caring but hostile voice rake at him?

**'I assume Kiritsugu had at least enough common sense to put you through some Breathing and Walking exercises.'**

**'...enough common sense to put you through some Breathing and Walking exercises.'**

**'...Breathing and Walking exercises.'**

He was doing something important the day of the fire.

**'I cannot give you a crest, so breathing is especially important for you as a mage Shirou.'**

Yes, something very important.

**'I want you to go outside and practice.'**

He was practicing.

**'I know this daily routine gets tiring, but you'll thank me when your older kiddo.'**

He was practicing his breathing, as he had done every day for the five years before the fire.

Emiya Kiritsugu never told him of Breathing and Walking, only of what his abilities were supposedly limited to.

So where did Emiya Shirou learn of this practice?

His books?

No, he knew it before he had browsed his father's limited library, it was something he was taught before the fire, and it was now one of the few things he recalled so clearly.

Inhale...

The clash of daggers against a sword.

Exhale...

A silver and blue shadow that loved him, taking all odds and rushing her enemy here and now.

Inhale...

Another clash, the air seemed lighter now.

Exhale...

His magic circuit flared open.

Inhale...

He saw Kanshou and Bakuya.

Exhale...

"Trace, on."

Saber couldn't gain the upper hand at the rate she was fighting, but she had to, unless she defeated Assassin where he stood Shirou would suffocate under the murderous pressure. Daggers and knives sprouted forth from his cloak, his form was beautiful, enchanting, it was almost as if he were dancing.

A dance of death.

"I have gained many pleasures in my life, the sweet sound of blood sliding down the throat of a beautiful woman, the desperate sounds she makes as she gasps for her last breath. You most of all Saber, you are very beautiful, I want to see you exactly like that, trapped in that one moment of beauty, eyes widened in terror."

"If you touch her..."

Assassin froze.

Saber's eyes widened, the air was still heavy with Assassin's presence, so why?! "Get down you fool!" she shouted, "You can't fight like this."

In between her and Assassin, Shirou stood defiantly, Kanshou and Bakuya in his firm grasp.

"If you touch her... I'll rip you to pieces!!!"

Shirou moved fast, faster than Saber had ever seen him move, his breathing was steady, he was one with himself.

He closed the distance from Assassin with a single leap, ten meters in one bound, not three or four. If she could see Assassin's face, she was sure he would have been deathly surprised by this development. Assassin was not a class to fight up close, the fact that Shirou had closed a distance that great left him no room for retreat.

Assassin was helpless...

Bakuya pushed through Assassin's gut, exiting out of his spine with a sickening crunch.

However...

A dagger stuck from Shirou's side, and his vision blurred.

Assassin gritted his teeth, "Damn... you! Who are you?"

"That's none of your business," ground out Shirou.

Saber was quick to move, "Shirou!"

Assassin and Shirou separated.

Assassin jumped back, sword still through his gut, it began to slowly fade away, he coughed up blood, and it leaked around the edges of his mask. "Even I, the weakest class,  
can outmatch a human magi, you are... no normal boy."

Shirou coughed when Saber reached him and knelt down.

The stagnant air around them began to disappear.

"I may not be normal..." said Shirou, "But... at least... I'm not scum... like you Assassin..."

As his vision faded, the last thing he saw was Saber's worried face as she nursed his wound.


	5. Chapter 5

Cloud: Before I get any further with this story I will tell you right now that it will be rife with spoilers from the Heaven's Feel route. If you haven't played the game and intend to without spoilers then do not read on. Sorry for the short chapter in advance.

_'Assassin managed to get away.'_

He was fading in and out, he couldn't really tell what was real or not anymore, he only knew that he was still alive, for now it would have to be enough.

_'That idiot... he pushed himself too hard.'_

_'How so?'_

Nothing hurt, but he could tell that something was wrong.

_'Well, for one, he used concentrated breathing to put power into his muscles, but since he's an amateur it wasn't concentrated at one point. He spread the mana through his entire body. It gave him super strength that lasted for a split second, but he almost tore his leg muscles, you said he leapt ten meters?'_

_'...Yes, I had never seen him move that fast.'_

_'He's pretty lucky Saber, take care of him.'_

_'I will.'_

His brain went blank.

The voices without a face disappeared.

**"HeLLo aGain emIYa SHIroU."**

Darkness...

Death...

Despair...

These were the words that entered his mind. The shadow, the darkness, it was above him, looking down on him as if HE were the monster. It judged him, and he, in turn, judged it.

At that moment it was not an enemy.

Even though Shirou could feel clear hostility and intent to murder, he could tell it wished to talk with him, or rather... wished to talk at him.

**"LAst tImE i SaW yoU, JUSTICA inTerFERed, peRHapS YoU wiLL Not bE So LUckY ThiS tiME."**

Shirou did not understand. He had heard the name Justica before, but he did not recall her interfering in any of his battles, nor did he recall fighting the monster that stood above him at that very moment.

Justica von Einzbern.

Rin had told him she was one of the original creators of the Holy Grail.

**"AH yeS, yOU wouLD NoT reMEMbeR, afTER AlL, yOU ArE nOT THE EmIYa shiRoU WhO lOSt hIS serVAnT."**

He shook his head in the darkness.

No, of course he didn't lose Saber, she was okay.

There was only one Emiya Shirou.

Static...

Death...

Destruction...

Chaos...

**"HahAHAhaHahA, YoU aRE foOliSH, iN tiME YoU WiLL leArN, anD iN TimE yOU WIlL diE."**

In the distance he heard a voice...

_'Saber! Help me! He's seizing!'_

_'Shirou, please hold on!'_

**Day 5: Invisible Sword**

_**'I wonder what would happen... if I died here...'**_

_**'No I don't, I've died before...'**_

_**'When?'**_

_**'It feels like a really long time ago.'**_

...e up...

_**'I remember, there was a large... something.'**_

_**'Something that had to be destroyed.'**_

_**'I stepped forward and took the swing that ended my life.'**_

_**'Wait, no, that's not right.'**_

...ke up...

_**'I didn't die, Ilya was there, she said she could help me. Did she?'**_

...ake up...

_**'Sakura was there, she was in pain, but I think she was okay.'**_

_**'Strange...'**_

_**'None of this... ever really... happened...'**_

...Wake up...

Shirou's eyes snapped open, and he gasped for air desperately.

"Rin, he's awake!" he heard a familiar voice shout out. "Rin?"

His vision was hardly focused, he could barely tell he was in his room, and he could barely make out Saber at his side, kneeling down and wiping his forehead with a wet towel.

"She must have left already," muttered Saber.

"I... I'm okay," Shirou forced out, trying to gather his wits about him as his vision slowly cleared. When everything was straight again he saw Saber, with the same worried expression she wore when he had fainted after the fight with Assassin. "What happened?"

"Assassin barely escaped with his life, as did you..."

"Wh..."

Before he could pose the question her hand had already made contact with his cheek.

Saber had slapped him.

She frowned, "It seems that my training is ineffective. Do not ever do that again, we are meant to fight at each others side, charging blindly into a situation and crippling yourself is not called for. The only thing that kept me back from Assassin was that I did not want to leave you open to attack, but when you rushed forward it defeated the purpose. When you stood you should have joined me so we could finish him!"

"Saber..."

Instead of scolding him further, Saber leaned forward and grabbed his collar forcefully, pulling him into a kiss. It lasted for a short moment before she came up for breath. "Promise," she whispered.

"Okay, I promise."

She smiled softly and ran a hand through his hair, "I had to use Avalon to heal you, it took quite a bit of magical energy."

Shirou chuckled, "I thought you were mad at me."

"Not mad," she said softly, pushing him onto the matress, "Worried."

* * *

"You look worried," said Rin softly.

Her room was quiet as usual, and Shirou found it hard to concentrate after he woke up and Rin returned. It was already mid day, and while the dagger wound had been fully healed thanks to Avalon, he could still feel a phantom pain from it whenever he thought about it too much. "Yeah, that whole thing with Assassin, not only that, but I forgot to ask you about something the other day."

"Oh?"

"Saber says that she died but... how come I still can't turn her into a spirit form? She still has to eat and sleep like a regular human."

Rin brought a hand to her chin, "I can't exactly answer a question as difficult as that Shirou. I can guess though, have you ever read any of the Arthurian legends?"

"Yes, a few, why?"

"There are a lot of different versions, but in most of them King Arthur is resting, sealed in the paradise of Avalon until England is in need of a great leader. If that's true than Saber transcends every heroic spirit."

"Why is that?"

"There are two different kinds of heroic spirits, the first is a basic type, they're the ones who did something amazing that resulted in positive happenings, whether their actions were considered evil or not."

"So that's why people like the current Assassin can be summoned as Heroic Spirits?"

"That's right, these heroic spirits are pulled from the time line after they die, and stocked into what can be best described as a warehouse while time goes on around them. This warehouse is stocked with infinite knowledge for the Heroic Spirits to absorb, this is why Heroic Spirits can speak Japanese, or any other language for that matter. However, the infinite knowledge pool is where the similarities between the two types end.

The second type of Heroic Spirit is a specialized servant of the world itself. This Heroic Spirit was so great and selfless in life that the world around them chose them specifically for the task of protecting itself. When great disaster strikes these spirits are summoned to mop up and save what's left of humanity."

Shirou's eyes narrowed, "That's stupid..."

Rin went silent.

"Even heroes need to rest," he continued, "If they just mop up after messes made by people and monsters, they're just a cleaner, not a real hero."

"I agree," she said softly, "No one should have to suffer through something like that..."

'Especially not you,' she thought.

"Continuing," she said, "I thought Saber was the second type, I honestly did, it was the only way to explain how her body was still alive, and how the world made a deal with her for the Holy Grail. However, it seems I was wrong."

"How so?"

"Going back to the legend, Arturia is waiting in Avalon for a time she's needed, which means that Saber herself is a walking paradox."

"Are you saying there's two Arturias?"

"Correct, one of them is here with us, she is from her own time, and has the memories of the Holy Grail wars she has participated in."

"Wait, stop, I'm confused, how is this possible?"

"Because Saber became a hero twice in her lifetime."

"...What?"

"Are you forgetting? You and Saber destroyed the Holy Grail, she saved the world as a Heroic Spirit, but you have to remember Shirou, she was still technically alive a month ago. Before that, she saved her country many times, do you know what that means?"

"Saber said she went back to her time and died with Bedivere at her side," said Shirou, "She said he threw Excalibur in the lake, and then she closed her eyes, next thing she knew she was standing in your room. Wouldn't that mean that I summoned her after she died and went to Avalon?"

"You're missing the point Shirou, think about it logically. When you summoned Saber during the war she was alive on the hill. Line the events up, when she died, where did she go?"

"Avalon."

"Right, to await when England would need her leadership. She is still there, waiting for when she's needed, but she's also here with us, fighting in the sixth Holy Grail war. If there's anything you need to take from this, it's that you summoned the Arturia that's waiting in Avalon, not the Arturia before she died."

"Wouldn't that make them the same person?"

"Yes... in normal circumstances it would, however, you summoned her almost directly after she died, which means you summoned her from the past. The Arturia in our time is still waiting to be summoned by her people in their hour of need."

"So... She didn't really die..."

"The world never really got a hold of her, she was and always will be England's great hero."

* * *

'Matou Zouken.'

The old man was standing in front of his grandson's grave, smirking at the pathetic coward that lay buried beneath his feet. In his eyes, Shinji died a cowards death, the stupid child was not worthy of the Makiri name, and continued to hound him for praise when he was alive. The sick little man had sodomized his sister, calling it part of her 'training'. Zouken scoffed, the little worm had no idea what he was doing, and was slaughtered by Ilyasviel the very day he lost Rider.

That brought Zouken's plan to a screeching halt, without Rider... things would be difficult...

"Matou Zouken."

"What do you want?" growled Zouken, leaning even further onto his cane. His eyes twitched, black as night, with milky white iris'.

"Emiya Shirou is still alive," said the man behind him, clutching at his gut.

Zouken growled, "I told you he would have been an issue Assassin, you should have killed him before he summoned Arturia. Don't tell me you let her distract you, do not let her beauty lure you in Assassin, or you will surly fall, the Ripper of London or no."

Assassin gritted his teeth behind the mask, "If you are going to name me, then please, a simple 'Jack' would do..."

Zouken scoffed, "I will call you by your name when you actually do something productive."

"It was not Arturia that defeated me."

Zouken raised an eyebrow, turning his gaze away from his grandson's grave to look at the servant behind him, "Oh? Surely it wasn't the boy?"

"Yes, he even surpassed my aura. I could hear his muscles tear from the strain of his magic when he leaped for me, yet... that boy is not to be underestimated Master."

"I see I see. We shall have a change of plans then, my granddaughter has resided under Emiya's roof for long enough."

"...Very well."

"Do not fail me again Assassin, or I will replace you with another Servant."

"Yes..."

* * *

Shirou took another deep breath.

The shed was quiet, even the bugs had ceased to make noise.

He had placed several wooden blocks on the floor in a circle around himself.

He felt the hammer in the back of his head straining.

Twenty-seven, he had counted them.

Twenty-seven magical circuits...

Rin had congratulated him on having seven more than the average magus, but he didn't care about that at all. He was concentrating to the best of his ability, practicing something that he never got to practice while his father was alive...

Emiya Shirou was gathering energy and mana from the very air around him.

The grass on the ground, the small trees in the yard, the little creatures that scurried about in holes avoiding Fuji-nee...

They all left residual mana in the air.

Shirou was filtering that mana through his circuit to make it his own.

"Trace, on."

His usual mantra, though he was not projecting this time...

**'Shirou, your affinity is swords. The five elements aren't the only limit to magic. What your father sadly failed to mention is that each mage has a specialty in a certain type of magic.'**

**'He told me my specialty was useless.'**

**'It is... at least at the lower levels. Again, he failed to mention several key things in your 'training'. I don't think he wanted you to be a mage Shirou, but he also couldn't deny his only child's wish, so he compensated for it by making you go down a difficult and unproductive path. I was surprised that you knew so little and your circuits were in such bad shape, but I think he loved you, and didn't want you to go down this path.'**

Emiya Kiritsugu, he really was a father until the bitter end...

Inside his own mind, Shirou saw a sword, but he was not projecting...

**'I can't give you specifics, even the Magic Association doesn't fully understand magic, which is why they disdain powerful mages and sorcerer's, because it seems that those people have a better understanding of magic than they do. Tonight, I want you to fiddle around with your affinity in your shed. Do you remember the basics of projectiles?**  
**I have control over the five basic elements, I can shoot fire, I can raise Earth, but it's limited since my power is spread out. I want you to figure out what you can do with your affinity, make use of all your circuits if you have to.'**

The firing hammer in the back of his head slammed into place, being released by the imaginary finger.

No, he was not projecting.

He took a deep breath.

**'Think like a swordsman would, Saber's been teaching you well, hasn't she?'**

He felt his body heat up.

This was a new magic, so he had to get used to it.

**'I can give you an idea, remember Saber's Excalibur? She fights with it while it's invisible, right?'**

He felt the iron rod slowly slip into his spine.

Sweat covered his body.

**'Your father was right, mages are companions of death. Even though he was a bit extreme with it, he was still stating the truth. Our lives are constantly at risk.'**

Halfway there.

His back arched.

**'Whenever we open ourselves to a new magic we are taking an incomparable risk to our own life.'**

His fists clenched.

The iron rod was moving slowly...

**'You need to understand that this isn't easy Shirou. Mages are supposed to learn from an early age, there's a reason for this. When our bodies are still growing we still have room for magic to influence us. When our bodies are young the risk of taking on magic is much less compared to when we are older.'**

It clicked into place...

Shirou's eyes snapped open.

He spread his arms...

**'You've chose the most difficult path Shirou. I truly, truly respect you for that... and I admire you as a magus...'**

Palms up...

Facing the future...

Not sure of tomorrow...

Emiya Shirou cast his first true spell that night...

The wooden blocks surrounding him were sliced to pieces by an invisible blade...

The red hot fire in his spine seared at his nerves...

The iron rod was burning his back...

Sweat covered his body...

And he felt alive...


	6. Chapter 6

"Damn."

This was not the ideal place to fight for Caster.

For one, it was a wide open area, the street by the park south of the town's bridge. For two, his opponent had completely caught him off guard.

The park was quiet once more, Caster had tried several times to close the distance, but to no avail, Archer moved too fast for him to catch up. "I apologize Caster," said Archer, "But it seems you went against the terms of Lillian's agreement, and so I have no choice but to eliminate you where you stand. I'll also be taking your Noble Phantasm when you die."

"Tch, a thief to the end I see," said Caster.

"Rest assured," said Archer, "I have no intent to use your Noble Phantasm for my own gains, I only wish to protect the weak."

"You're naive Robin Hood, the days of glory in vigilantism have long since passed."

The two hooded opponents faced each other under the dark night sky, the grass of the park beneath their feet was soft, but sturdy enough to hold up with their clashes. However, Archer had yet to let Caster lay a single blow, magic, sword, or otherwise, it was a true standoff, and Archer was merely leading him by a thread of mockery. "Kidnapping Shirou and leading the beautiful Saber into a trap such as that, I understand that mages are not for physical combat, but have you really ever heard of chivalry Caster?"

"You're the fool who keeps revealing your identity."

Archer smirked, "I reveal nothing, I just find it rude to not introduce myself to people that I meet, it is you who has something to hide Caster. Tell me, were you a cold blooded murderer in life? It seems so, because despite being young, your master is rather... heartless. They do say that the Master summons Servants that are alike in personality after all."

Caster gritted his teeth, "Be silent, your death will be a quick one!"

Before Caster could make a move, Archer already had his bow at the ready, pointed straight at his opponent, "Then take my life if you dare, however, the King of England had much trouble catching me, I don't see how a mage with no sense of honor could do any better."

"You bastard!"

Caster closed the distance between them, and Archer fired. It was a dud shot, and was easily deflected by Caster with his sword. He moved in for the kill...

And stopped dead in his tracks...

"So you see your mistake now Caster, I suppose I had hoped too much that it would be that easy to kill you."

Archer smirked, lowering his hood.

Brown hair and green eyes, they looked as if they were staring into Caster's very soul, judging him.

"Archery is my strong point," he continued, "However, I once fought for the King who betrayed his people, you cannot expect me to know no other form of combat." Archer's cloak billowed in the night wind, revealing that after he had fired the shot, he had rested his hand on a dagger at his belt, ready to strike when Caster had closed the distance between them. "You see Caster, my time alive was a very exciting one, I lived by the bow and died by the sword, and I regret none of it, you on the other hand... you hold a heavy burden that needs lifting. Unless you can say that the burden on your shoulders is as light as a feather, you cannot hope to defeat me in combat, nor in chivalry."

Caster gritted his teeth, holding up his hand and firing a projectile at his opponent without uttering a single word.

Archer disappeared.

Caster's eyes widened, "Wh..."

An arrow had embedded in Caster's shoulder, seemingly out of nowhere.

Archer's mocking voice came from the trees, "However, even if you were to rid yourself of that horrible burden, you would still have no hope of defeating my bow."

"Damn you Archer!" Caster grasped the arrow and pulled it from his shoulder with a growl.

"In time I will face you in fair combat Caster, but in your current state you have no hope of victory against me. Our temporary truce is now null and void, I wish you luck in your journey for the Holy Grail."

**Day 6: Darkness**

The dinner table at the Emiya household was being used for planning once more. Between Rin, Saber, and Shirou. It was a matter of hours before lunch, when Sakura and Fujimura would come over, so they decided to use their time wisely and conduct their strategy meeting while they had the chance.

"A few of the Servants have revealed themselves already, Assassin, Caster, and Archer," said Rin.

Saber nodded, "We know that Archer is Robin Hood. He came after my time, so I do not know much of his exploits."

"That's right," muttered Rin, "Legends of King Arthur generally center around the sixth century, while the earliest record of Robin Hood was the fourteenth."

"Eight hundred years, and still, my efforts as King were forgotten as quickly as the wind." She took a sip from the tea Shirou had served them earlier, a contemplative look on her face.

"Obviously they weren't completely forgotten," said Shirou, "You're one of the most famous historical figures in our time, you can't go through a single basic history class without hearing about Arthur at least once. Anyways, the legends usually say that Robin Hood was a rich man who lost everything, and decided to fight for the people. He was made an outlaw of the country, and was hounded after his entire life, but... Archer told us he was never rich."

"Pardon me interrupting," said Rin, "But we should be worrying about the fight, not the kind of person Robin Hood was. How do you know all this stuff anyways, you even knew about Cu Chulain, I didn't know about him until Father mentioned him."

"It's true," muttered Shirou. "Kiritsugu never taught me all these historical figures, there was a good chunk of them that I learned in school, but there are others that...  
I just know, it's strange now that I think about it."

"We'll worry about it later," said Rin, "Right now we need a plan."

"Robin Hood was a hero, he helped the people. If we can convince Lillian to back down, I think we can make ourselves a powerful ally in this battle."

"Shirou, listen to me, that woman didn't look the type to back down, and if you get hur..."

"I agree with Shirou," interrupted Saber.

Rin raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"

Saber sighed and set her tea down, a determined look crossing her features, "I agree with Shirou," she said once more, "This is no longer the Holy Grail War we all thought it was at the beginning. The Holy Grail is a monstrosity that deserves to be put down, and infighting among Servants and Masters is exactly what the proprietaries would want. By fighting Archer, a potential ally in battle, we are playing right into the game master's hands."

Rin gritted her teeth, "Well, if you put it that way I can't exactly disagree, but..."

"But?" asked Saber.

"The other Masters don't know what we know, how do you expect them to listen to us? They'll just think we're crying wolf to distract them."

"We have to at least try," said Shirou, "If we don't try, than everything we've done up until now would be meaningless. Saber came back to me for a reason, and I intend to see this through to the end, just like I did last time. It won't be the same again, Shinji, Archer... they died because I was too helpless. I can't let something like that happen again. I won't let Saber go this time, and I don't want anyone to get hurt because of this war."

Saber turned away, hiding her blush.

A small hand set a cup of tea in front of Shirou, "It's not your fault that your friend died Onii-chan..."

"Ilya?"

Rin stood, brushing herself off, "I'm gonna go take a bath," she said softly, "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid Saber." With those final words, she departed from the dining room.

Saber kept quiet, while Shirou simply looked at the small girl standing next to him.

"I'm the one that killed your friend," said Ilya. It wasn't said with any regret, but it wasn't said with a cold voice either. "I've been thinking about things a lot lately Onii-chan, about the reason I'm here, and the things that I did. I should be dead right now, but I'm not, because you wanted to take care of me..."

She walked forward slightly, falling on Shirou and hugging him, "I wanted to kill you before," she said honestly, "But I don't anymore. You remind me a lot of Berserker..."

"Berserker?" asked Shirou.

"Yeah... no matter what I did, he always protected me. I hated him because whenever he did something I would go through pain, the strain that he put on me as a magus was almost too much to bear. Then, as the pain faded, I slowly started to realize, he wasn't fighting randomely, he was only going after the monsters that would harm me. He was the strongest person I had ever met... until you..."

Without another word, Shirou's arms wrapped around her small frame, returning the hug.

* * *

The silent girl did as she was told, trailing behind her grandfather as he led her to the one place she did not want to go. She thought it ended when her Senpai had won the Holy Grail War, but it only continued. When Saber had returned she knew... she knew she couldn't avoid it forever. All she could hear as they walked was her own footsteps, it seemed as if the old man in front of her was floating. At his side, she could feel the Servant's presence. It was almost too much to bear, yet she kept silent, as she always had... to this very day.

"Come," said Zouken.

He was not dragging her by the wrist, but he might has well have been.

The long halls of the Matou mansion were intimidating to her, and she found it difficult to breathe.

Wasn't a home supposed to be a comfortable place, a place you could go back to in order to escape the dark?

A safe place...

This was not her home.

The Emiya household was her home, this was...

This was just a prison.

He opened the door at the end of the hall.

Deep stone steps led down into a dark chamber that reeked of death.

'And this,' she thought, 'This is my cell.'

"What is the matter?" asked Zouken, turning to face her.

Sakura turned away, trying to hide the fear in her eyes, "N... nothing Grandfather."

He nodded sternly, "Good, then we can proceed."

The chamber was large, as tall as the mansion itself, and as wide as half a football field. There were countless holse in the walls, holding decomposing and rotted bodies.  
Some of the bodies were from the Matou line, others were... not so lucky. It made Sakura sick to her stomach. Before Saber destroyed the Holy Grail, she felt nothing when she entered this place. She was supposed to be used to the smell, and she was...

Until Saber destroyed the Holy Grail, and gave her that small bit of false hope.

She thought Shirou would be safe, but now she was walking down the stone steps again...

'Senpai...'

"Don't forget, summoning is difficult," said Zouken.

She nodded timidly.

The walls in the chamber seemed to move of their own accord.

She heard the squirming of worms and bugs, consuming, digesting, moving...

She shuddered, trying to gather all her will to continue down the stone steps.

'Rider,' she thought, 'Rider can help me.'

It was a stray thought...

She had never had such a thought before, turning against her grandfather was out of the question...

But still...

She knew what would happen if she defied him, but still...

The things she had seen, her brother's death, her own curse, Shirou's indomitable will.

It was a stray thought...

But still...

* * *

The roar of a lion...

**_'Is this... a dream...'_**

He had nothing left, Saber was dead by his own hands. He felt the dagger push into her flesh, she stared up at him, her emtionless golden eyes were the only thing that filled his vision when he felt the pressure of that dagger. The man in front of him was blocking his way, trying to stop him from the thing that had ruined the girl's entire life.

_**'This isn't right...'**_

"KOTOMINE... KIREI!"

**_'This never happened, I fought him at the temple, and Saber didn't die...'_**

His resolve never faltered, his will was never broken, he had chosen his path long ago... the swords sprouting from his back were his proof.

**_'This is different from the dreams before, there are still people that are alive. People I care about.'_**

The fist stopped mid air, hovering not but an inch in front of the lion's face.

"I see," said the old priest, "It was merely a contest of time..."

* * *

"Wake up Shirou, it's time to go."

Shirou's eyes snapped open, he was in his room once more. Above him was Saber, a smile on her face. "Saber? S... sorry, I must have fallen asleep."

The smile did not leave her face, "It was a rather pleasant sight."

His face heated up, "Y... you were... watching me?"

She did not reply, so he shook his head and sighed, standing and stretching. Without another word, the two left the house. "It's strange," muttered Shirou as they walked down the hill, away from his house.

"What is?"

Shirou continued, "Well, Sakura didn't show up for dinner, but she said she would, so I'm... just a bit worried."

"I see... I am worried too, it is not like Sakura to stand people up. She does not cancel plans unless she has good reason."

"And then she'll call ahead of time," added Shirou.

"Indeed."

"Do you think we should go to her house and check it out?"

Saber sighed and stopped walking, "I had wanted to go look for Archer, but I suppose we have no choice."

The conversation ended, and when they reached the intersection they headed towards the residential district, for the western style homes. The walk seemed longer than it actually was, and Shirou found himself jumping at shadows. The entire town felt foreboding to him, and as they drew closer to Sakura's home, a smell assaulted his nostrils. It was sickly sweet and almost made him gag in reaction to it.

As the large mansion came within sight, the smell only became stronger.

When they were only a block away Shirou coughed, bringing his sleeve to his mouth in a futile effort to filter out the air.

The mansion was right in front of them.

"Shirou," said Saber, "This place is not comfortable. Whatever is here should not be meddled with, I suggest we find your friend, retrieve her, and make our exit as quickly as possible."

"I agree..." he said, struggling to breathe past the smell.

"Oh you won't be going anywhere..."

Saber's eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

In between them and the entrance to the home of the Matou's stood two tall men.

Master and Servant.

The mage wore a scientist's jacket, and a pair of small glasses. His hair was cropped short.

The servant that stood behind him was completely silent, and a good foot taller than the man himself. His eyes were red, his hair was black as the night that surrounded him,  
and his face held no emotions. He had no armor, simply a ragged pair of pants and a bandanna wrapped around his head. In his left hand he held a shield.

In his eyes... he held madness.

"Berserker," said Saber, gritting her teeth. "Stand back Shirou," said Saber, stepping in front of her Master and donning her armor in an instant. The invisible Excalibur was in her grasp in a split second. Berserker's eyebrow twitched, it was as if he had wanted to charge her, but could not. The master must have been restraining him from his violent episode, it was no surprise, the man emenated pure power as a magus.

Shirou sensed it.

It was as if mana was simply being given to him by the air around him, and he was accepting it in good graces as if it were a gift...

No effort at all...

"Dr. Hall is my name. I wouldn't imagine that I would annihilate two master's in one night, it seems that luck has favored me today. I came her for Rider, and I found Saber as well."

Saber gritted her teeth.

"Saber, do you really think you can take him on by yourself?"

"Go find Sakura," she said sternly.

"But..."

"GO!"

"...Right, don't die on me."

"I do not intend to, you would be rather lonely then," she joked with a smirk.

He frowned, running past her and toward the Matou mansion.

Berserker did not move, and Hall did not order it to do so.

Saber was the first to move, closing in on Berserker in an instant. When her sword slashed his shoulder and drove to his chest she wondered...

The blood leaked down his body, soaking what little cloth he had, dripping onto his shield, leaking onto her invisible blade.

"Hahahaha, foolish foolish girl..." The doctor only laughed.

Saber's eyes widened...

Berserker was staring at her in wonder, his eyes pierced hers, and she felt something that she hadn't felt in a long time...

Fear.

Berserker grinned madly and grabbed Saber's sword while it was embedded in him.

No...

He pulled her closer, grasping the blade of Excalibur. She pulled back with all her might and managed to dislodge it. Still with that mad grin, still bleeding from the wound he had received, Berserker simply stared at her. "You see," said Hall, "This Berserker is special, he cannot heal, nor is his body invincible. I know my fair share of healing magic, so that's a non issue. What really makes this Berserker special is that he will not stop. You could slice him into bits and pieces, and those bits and pieces would still try to kill you. That is his Noble Phantasm, the Invincible King."

"King?" growled Saber.

"Surely you know him, King Leonidas the 1st."

"A Spartan."

"Not just any Spartan Saber, THE Spartan."

'How do I beat an opponent who cannot be stopped?' thought Saber.

* * *

Shirou gritted his teeth, keeping his breathing soft, deep, and to a minimum, the smell inside the mansion was absolutely unbearable, and he knew that if he stopped for anything he would have fainted from it. So he kept moving, looking for Sakura. He did not call her name, that was an unnecessary breath, he simply looked. Every room, the great hall, the hallways, the dining room, Shinji's old room, Sakura's room...

'Where is she?' he thought desperately.

"Looking for someone?"

Shirou barely had time to side step the dagger. It went flying past him and lodged itself in the wall at the end of the long hallway. It hit one of the pictures, a picture of Matou Zouken.

Shirou had met the man once, he was old, and leaned forward on his cane with all his weight. His eyes were strange...

Assassin was behind him. The Servant let out a low chuckle, "Emiya Shirou, going on without your servant, how foolish of you."

Shirou turned and faced Assassin.

They were in a long narrow hallway, several doors lined it, all leading to the unorthodox rooms that Shirou had been searching.

"I hope you are ready to face the consequences of your actions... Emiya Shirou..."

Shirou scoffed, "Where's Sakura?"

"Ah, the girl? She is where she belongs, this is her home after all."

Shirou clenched his fists, "Where... is she?"

His mind was clear, he knew what he had to do.

Assassin reached up and pulled his top hat from his head. He then reached behind his head and undid the ties to his mask. He let the mask fall to the ground, and Shirou gritted his teeth. His face was scarred, a large cut had been made from his right temple, all the way down to his chin. "I believe I did not introduce myself last time. I am Jack the Ripper, the butcher of London. truly wish Saber was here with you, it would be such fun to hear her scream out to you in her final moments."

Shirou's vision blanked.

He felt a horrible foreboding...

* * *

"Hi, what's your name?"

The girl was as silent as could be, and never talked to anyone in the class.

Shirou decided to join her at lunch, and she simply ate silently.

He talked with her despite that.

She never replied, she simply ate her food and stared at her desk. "Did I tell you I'm gonna be a super hero when I grow up? There's a lot of people out there that need help, and my Dad tells me that it's good that I want to help them."

"Oh, I brought an extra lunch for you today Sakura, I made one just for you."

"I joined the archery club yesterday, I'm gonna do it all the way through High School, my Dad says he's really proud of me."

Every day he would see her, and then they moved on to High School. This continued, despite them being put in separate classes, Shirou would still talk to her about such pointless things. People muttered and whispered behind their backs, wondering why Shirou hung out with someone who never spoke a word while they were at school.

"I'm getting really good at archery, the prez says I'm the best they've had in a long time, but I bet it's just superstition. I'm good but I'm not THAT good. Your brother said something about joining, didn't he?"

"Yes," she replied.

Shirou's world froze at that very moment.

She had spoken to him, it was a single word, but she said it with a smile. Her blank face actually held a smile.

Shirou smiled back, "Right!"

They continued the routine, only this time she would speak about small things that had happened during her day.

It was a warm time for him, and he felt he was finally getting her to open up.

He got injured and quit the archery club, Shinji had called him useless, so he walked out. Three days later Sakura came over to his house, stuttering and blushing, wanting to take care of him while he recovered.

From that day forward...

Sakura was like a sister to him...

It was the simple little things that made her talk to him, made her smile in her day to day life.

He knew she had it rough at home, and he kept a tight leash on Shinji because of it.

So why...

* * *

'Why did I think that Shinji was the only one?'

"Are you going to stand there and stare at me? Where is your weapon boy?'

'Why didn't I see something was wrong?'

"If you do not make the first move, I will kill you easily."

'Why didn't I insist on her staying over?'

"Suit yourself boy."

The flash of a knife, a quick movement...

Shirou bled...

The weapon had made contact...

Assassin's eyes widened, "Wh..."

Shirou gritted his teeth, "Where..."

He grasped the knife tightly with his bare left hand, it dug into the skin of his palm...

"Is..."

It was impossible...

A boy like this...

Stopping a Servant's attack with his bare hands...

"SAKURA!"

Shirou stepped forward, driving his fist into Assassin's gut.

The Servant jumped back, gritting his teeth, "What are you?"

"You said it yourself," growled Shirou, "I'm not normal."

Shirou stepped forward, Assassin backed away.

The firing hammer in the back of the mage's head slammed into place, "I'll kill you," he said.

It was not a threat, it was not boasting.

Shirou was simply stating a fact.

Even Assassin could see that.

Shirou was channeling his mana to specific points in his body. His breath was calm, he no longer smelled the horrible stench surrounding the halls of the mansion. He was completely focused in that one moment. His hands pulsated with mana, pure magic drawn into his body as brute strength and force of will. He had stopped the dagger with his bare hands, and if the fist had connected with Assassin's gut it would have sent him flying.

A technique of Breathing and Walking that took years to master...

Zouken had said the boy would be problematic...

But this...

Whatever Emiya Shirou was...

He was not human.

"Damn..."

Assassin considered fleeing, but even then he would not stand a chance.

He knew that unless he stood his ground with all his might, this simple mage would kill him with no hesitation.

"Trace, on."

Assassin's eyes widened.

Shirou thrust his fist forward, as if to punch Assassin from a distance.

Magic burst forth.

The air around Shirou sharpened to a cutting edge.

The invisible swords were sent for Assassin before he had time to react.

One cut his shoulder, the other his abdomen.

"Where is she?"

Assassin spit at the mage's feet, and then gave one last desperate charge.

He stopped mid air and fell to the ground when another invisible blade slashed through his chest.

The fight was over in an instant.

Assassin faded away, leaving no trace of his presence behind.

Shirou frowned.

He did not feel victorious.

"Bravo young man, you have managed to slay a Servant by yourself."

Shirou turned around, only to find himself frozen in place. Zouken stood there, crouching on his cane, his milky white iris' staring at the boy who had just slain his Servant. "I must commend you, however, this is where your road ends. You see... your Servant is already dying..."

'Saber,' he thought, clenching his fists.

Behind Zouken stood two figures, both easily recognizable.

"Senpai..."

"Sakura."

Next to her was Servant Rider, the very Rider he had fought in the last Holy Grail War, with her black outfit and long purple hair. "I'm taking Sakura with me!" shouted Shirou, stepping forward.

Zouken smirked.

"Senpai!"

Shirou felt like his whole body was frozen, the feeling in his limbs quickly faded away. He looked down in wonder...

There was no pain, strangely...

But still...

He saw one of Rider's nails sticking through his stomach...

And he felt himself dying...

"Come Sakura," said Zouken, "We are done here."

"SENPAI!"

"Listen to me girl..."

Shirou's vision faded...

His whole world went black...

In it...

He saw the darkness...

**'WelcOME baCK EMiYa shIrOU. dO yoU KNoW NoW, YoU cANnoT sAvE AnyONe, lEasT oF AlL yOuRsELF.'**


	7. Chapter 6 Pt2

**Cloud: Yes reader, you are not blind, this chapter has Saber Lily and a shout-out to Fate/Zero. Enjoy.**

"Tch..."

Saber clucked her tongue, trying to keep her distance from the beast. Berserker had yet to actually attack her, but she had a feeling that she should not let him close the distance between them until she had a plan. "What's the matter Saber?" mocked Hall, "He's right here, come and get him."

She had already considered killing Hall himself, but that would have also been a mistake. Hall was right next to Berserker, if she struck out at the doctor that would leave her wide open to be attacked by Berserker. So she only had one choice, kill the Servant, easier said than done. That mad grin never left his face, and he didn't budge an inch. Saber felt that if she did not take action soon, something bad would happen.

Shirou was already inside, probably fighting alone...

And here she was...

Being a coward...

**'...Right, don't die on me.'**

No, it was not cowardice. Shirou did not want her to go. Her grip tightened around Excalibur, "Tell me Hall," she said softly, "Do you think King Arthur is more famous than Leonidas?"

Hall tilted an eyebrow, then, as if he had heard a good joke, began to laugh. He wiped his eyes and calmed down after a moment, "I suppose we shall see Saber."

Saber smirked.

First, she pulled Avalon from her waist, holding it in her left hand. The wind around the battlefield began to pick up, and the gale force from Excalibur finally revealing itself was almost hurricane force. Her Noble Phantasm of Invisible Air was literally tearing itself apart from the hilt up. Her hair was blown back, and she stood her ground against the wind.

Hall watched on in interest.

Saber dug her feet into the ground, ignoring her now lose hair...

The wind stopped...

And Hall smiled...

In her right hand was the revealed Excalibur, and in her left hand was Avalon.

She closed the distance to Berserker in less than a second.

He lashed out against her with his shield.

It was a blow that would rend her in two, whether she had used Excalibur to block it or not.

However, she had Avalon poised and ready to take the strike. Berserker was blown back when his shield made contact with Avalon.

He was helpless.

That one moment in which he was stunned was her opportunity.

She closed the distance again, bringing Excalibur high above her head, "Sword of Promised Victory!"

"EX..."

Hall smirked, "Poise Leonidas..."

"...CALIBUR!"

The night shined with the light of the King's sword. Trees and bushes were blown aside as if they were nothing. The entire left side of the Matou household was burnt out. The light slowly began to clear, and Saber smirked, shaking her head, "I see," she said softly.

Hall nodded in response, "Yes Saber."

Her armor faded away as her magical energy was drained from her, but her sword and her sheath stayed with her.

In front of her was a dome of shields with spears sticking out of it, ready to impale anything that so much as approached.

"Normally," said Hall, "A Berserker is so insane that they cannot use the focused versions of their Noble Phantasms, but again, my Berserker is different. Make no mistake, he still is completely insane, however, with a simple order I can have him make use of the ultimate defensive Noble Phantasm, his Spartan Shield."

The excess shields began to fade away, and from them stood Berserker, his mad grin gone, now replaced by a completely neutral expression. "So you were simply waiting for me to strike," she said.

Hall nodded, "It was only a matter of time."

Saber took a stance with her sword, "If you think I will..."

Hall held up his hand, "No need, Kings should only fight when they are at their best after all."

"I thought you were here to kill..."

"I was," he said hesitantly, "But it seems circumstances have changed."

"How so?"

Hall smirked, "Perhaps you should go check on your Master, King Arthur."

Saber's eyes narrowed, and without another word, Hall walked away, followed closely by Berserker.

Saber made her way towards the mansion quickly...

Only to be stopped dead in her tracks by something swinging down on her...

She couldn't see clearly...

It was too dark...

Saber rolled to the side to avoid the shadow that had attacked her. It did not look like any weapon she had ever seen. Another lashed out at her. She had a feeling that if it were to make contact with her she would be done for. They seemed to be sprouting forth from the very shadows themselves, as if they wanted to consume her very essence.  
She blinked and saw something.

* * *

Yellow eyes...

Cropped hair...

Veins pulsating violently...

Her armor scorched black...

Her Holy Sword Excalibur glowing with darkness...

She wanted to kill her former master...

* * *

'I cannot let that shadow touch me,' she thought, gritting her teeth.

Another lashed out, and another, it was a relentless assault, and eventually they would consume her...

She could not...

Would not let that happen...

"Damn."

She cursed her own foolishness...

Another shadow, another close call.

She could not keep this up forever.

* * *

**'Shirou, I love you.'**

Words that she never intended to speak as a King.

Words that shattered her pride, but at the same time, made her feel more alive than she ever was before.

Her hand was on the sword, ready to pull it forth from the stone...

"Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Merlin, "When you pull out that sword, you will no longer be a human."

She nodded firmly, and smiled at the old wizard, "Yes, many people were smiling, so I do not think it will be a mistake."

**'England deserved a better king than me.'**

He had disagreed... vehemently... with no hesitation.

He thought she was a great King, and a great friend, without reserve.

He was the first person she had met that viewed her in that light.

* * *

Saber gritted her teeth.

A shadow nicked her shoulder, and she felt an inhuman chill run through her body.

'I cannot allow this!'

Another shadow.

'Shriou...'

* * *

The dying boy reached up to the ceiling of the hallway, "Saber..." he coughed up blood.

He should have been long dead by now. Only Saber's close proximity with Avalon was keeping him alive.

He thought he heard her call out to him, but he wasn't too sure.

'I have to help Saber,' he thought, 'We're supposed to be fighting together. What am I doing dying when she needs my help?'

Zouken said she was dying, he couldn't let that happen...

* * *

Ah, another one just outside her peripheral vision...

She noticed this shadow a split second too late...

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain and torment...

She did not want Shirou to be hurt because of her...

* * *

Complete silence.

Then, he heard the sound of his heart beating.

It was the only thing he could hear in a hallway this silent. He felt Saber give up, the Command spell on his left hand began to hurt.

He was helpless...

He couldn't do anything to stop Saber's death...

It was a loss the moment they decided to go after Sakura...

No...

His eyes snapped open, the sound of his heart accelerated...

He was still alive...

He could still help Saber...

There was one thing she was missing...

One thing that he had yet to give to her...

The firing hammer in the back of his head slammed into place.

Twenty seven...

Twenty seven magic circuits...

He had counted every last one of them...

With a deep breath, he began the process. He pictured Saber in his head, fighting for him, kissing him, making love to him.

He remembered the iron rod that he had to drive into his spine every time he made a new makeshift circuit. Until Tohsaka came along he was completely helpless as a magus. Still, even with her help, every time he learned new magic he would have to drive that rod into his spine in order to create a new switch, as he did with the invisible blades. Normally it was a process of an hour or more.

However, he did not have an hour or more.

He had less than a second before Saber was dead.

"Trace, on."

Unless he managed to do this, he and his Servant would both die here.

He saw something in his vision, it was a bright yellow light... like the sun.

'You have a Reality Marble.'

Shirou took that iron rod and drove it into his spine full force. It took less than half a second, and it hurt more than anything he had ever done before...

'Shirou... a Mage is a companion to death, if you truly want to be a magic user, you must understand this.'

It clicked into place...

Another quarter of a second...

The shadow was nearly upon Saber...

He let out the roar of a lion...

"SABEEEEER!"

* * *

Saber's eyes snapped open.

The shadow stopped dead in its tracks.

It seemed it could think.

It was confused at this latest development.

She felt incomparable amounts of mana flow into her. It rushed into her as if she were under a waterfall. Her blue and silver armor disappeared in an instant. She took her stance, holding Excalibur with new confidence. Her hair was tied behind her head in a simple ponytail, much more comfortable than a tight bun. Her stance was solid, her under-dress had went from blue to a pure white, cut off at the sleeves. Her armor shined with radiance she had never seen before.

The shadow hesitated, that was all the opening she needed.

Excalibur flashed.

The entire block was alight with flame.

Yet nothing but her opponent felt the fire.

She heard an ungodly screech as the shadow withdrew from her presence.

This power...

"Shirou!" she shouted, rushing towards the Matou mansion.

He was in one of the many hallways on the third floor.

It seemed even as he lay dying he was trying to save her life. She rushed to him with no hesitation, kneeling at his side, "Shirou!"

He reached up to her and placed a hand on her cheek. He smirked, "Saber, you look different, you look like a girl."

She frowned, blushing, "This is no time to make jokes..." Instead of arguing further, she took Avalon and placed it in his arms. She placed her right hand on the sheath and leaned down to him, kissing him deeply. Shirou felt the wound disappear almost instantly. He gasped for air when she pulled away, clutching at Avalon tightly.

Saber took her sheath back gently, and glared at the boy that was now sitting up.

"Saber," he gasped, clutching at his chest, "We have to go after Sakura, Rider and her Grandfather took her..."

"You are in no condition to..."

"Saber, this is an order!"

Her eyes widened. In the time she had known Shirou, he had yet to truly pull the Master Servant card. This must have been very important to him. "I see," she said softly, "I'll help you up."

She pulled him up, and he gritted his teeth against the remaining pain. "Rider? The new Rider?" she asked.

Shirou shook his head as they struggled through the hall and down the stairs, "No, Shinji's Servant from the last war."

Saber frowned, "But... that's impossible."

"Apparently... ergh... not. I don't even know where they went."

"I do," she said simply. "They are still close, but they are moving fast, Rider most likely took a vehicle, we must get to the Matou's garage."

* * *

Shirou raised an eyebrow.

"You're joking," he said dryly.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"But... the dress, and the armor, and..."

"Oh, this?" she asked, looking down at her current attire. She sighed and took a deep breath, and the armor, along with the white dress, disappeared. In its place was what looked like business attire, a simple pair of black pants and combat boots, accompanied by a blouse.

"What? No tie?" asked Shirou jokingly, only to receive a glare.

"Kiritsugu," she said simply. "Now."

The garage was left wide open after Rider had departed. The only thing left was Shinji's old Ninja bike, painted a sleek red. She put one leg over the bike and kicked down on the ignition, causing the engine to flare to life. "Get on Shirou."

He sighed.

* * *

Rider stood atop the car, Bellerophon hooked tightly into the hood, its needles impaled in the engine itself. Zouken had left Sakura to the car of Rider after forcing her into the car, telling her that her friends had come to kill her. Rider had only one goal, protect her Master. Shinto had a large downtown section and wide roads, this made it a simple task to navigate it with the red car that Rider currently stood on top of.

Sakura sat in the driver's seat, watching the wheel steer by itself...

'Senpai...'

The sound of a small and quick engine...

Rider choked on the air...

It couldn't be...

Sakura smiled, "Rider, pull over," she said.

"I cannot do that," responded the Servant, "No matter what you think they are here to kill you."

'Senpai would never do that,' she thought.

The bike was upon them in less than a minute.

The streets of Shinto were nearly empty, leaving them room to clash as they desired.

Rider saw an upcoming intersection, and with last second timing, pulled tightly on the reigns. The car drifted to the left, and she leaned with it, maintaining her balance. Sakura let out a light scream when Rider whipped the reigns, causing the car to accelerate.

Saber leaned her body to the left, trying to keep to the car's side. She held Excalibur in her right hand, and was steering the bike with her left. He left leg kicked out and skimmed the ground to maintain balance. Shirou's arms tightened around her waist.

Rider clucked her tongue when she saw the bike was still close on their left flank.

Ahead of them was Shinto's mall, and a large concrete clearing with a fountain.

Rider whipped the reigns again, and the car changed gears.

Three hundred meters was the distance to the fountain and the mall.

Saber tilted to the right, closing in on the car.

"Shirou!" she shouted, "Take the bike!"

"What, are you insane?"

"Take the bike!" she shouted firmly.

"Um... o... okay!"

His arms reached out hesitantly, grabbing onto the handles and holding the throttle forward as he did so. Saber leaped from the bike with no warning, landing on top of the car... directly behind Rider.

Shirou managed to straighten out the bike and pull himself up.

It wasn't that hard with the bike going, but they were approaching the mall fast.

Two hundred meters.

Saber and Rider clashed on the roof of the car.

Rider pulled a single needle from the car's hood, causing it to slow ever so slightly as it blazed down the street. The needle blocked Excalibur's incoming blow, but Saber was relentless, she brought her sword down again in a split second, cutting Rider's shoulder after she barely managed to duck a lethal blow. Unless Rider gave up the car and fought Saber head to head, this would end badly for her.

Shirou gritted his teeth, while Saber had Rider distracted, he had his chance.

He focused...

It wasn't a sword, but maybe...

A small, bright yellow sun flashed in his vision...

"Trace, on..."

He saw a field of blades...

**'Steel is my body, and fire is my blood.'**

"Build, composition, analyze."

This was the base of Emiya Shirou's magic. He saw the build of the bike, its maker, why it was created, how much it was sold for, the engine's capabilities, brakes, gas, throttle, what year it was...

Years of information and experience cascaded into his mind.

**'My Father told me my specialty was useless.'**

**'It is... at least at the lower levels.'**

He did not hesitate...

He knew exactly how to handle it now...

Tilting to his right, he brought the bike closer to the car. Sakura watched him in awe as he held out a hand to her.

"Sakura, take my hand!"

"Senpai?"

One hundred meters to the mall.

"Sakura! Trust me!"

The girl hesitantly opened the door. Holding it open with her hand, she reached out for Shirou.

"I got you!" he shouted, grabbing onto her hand and literally pulling her out of the car.

Fifty meters to the mall.

Shirou used all his strength and the momentum of the bike itself to pull Sakura onto it with him. She sat with both her legs hanging over on the right side, as if she were a princess riding a horse. She wrapped her arms tightly around Shirou, squinting her eyes shut.

Twenty five meters...

Rider pulled the other needles out of the hood, clashing with Saber in an all out brawl as the car spun out of control.

Ten meters...

The car flipped, and Saber and Rider leaped from it with no hesitation, both heading straight towards the bike with Sakura and Shirou on it.

Five meters...

"Sakura!" shouted Shirou, "Cover yourself!"

She wrapped her arms even tighter around Shirou, tucking her head into him...

In that one moment... she trusted her Senpai.

Five meters...

Rider was closing in, reaching out for Sakura, ready to kill Shirou to protect her Master.

Four...

Saber was right behind Rider, bringing Excalibur down in midair.

Three...

Shirou braced himself.

The mall was large...

Two...

Rider's hand fell short of the bike, and Excalibur narrowly missed its target.

'Hang on Sakura,' thought Shirou.

One...

The bike crashed through the glass entrance of the mall, showering their surroundings in broken shards reflecting the moonlight.

Saber closed in on Rider, deadlocking Excalibur with Bellerophon.

Shirou kicked out, tilting the bike down to the left and bringing it to a screeching halt just as his magic faded. He kept his foot out to keep the bike from falling, and his eyes landed on Rider and Saber.

Sakura's arms left him, and she reached out to the Servants, "Stop, RIDER!"

Shirou saw the Command Spell on her hand flash, and Rider and Saber both stopped the fight. Saber sheathed Excalibur, and Rider looked like she was still struggling to strike at Saber.

"Stop," said Sakura softly, "There's no reason to fight Rider... they're my friends..."

Rider gritted her teeth, "You're saying your own Grandfather lied to you?"

Sakura brought a hand to her chest, casting her look down to the ground, "Yes... he did... and it's time I faced that."

"We should leave this place quickly," said Saber, "The police will be here in a matter of minutes."


	8. Chapter 7

**Cloud: Please review, you guys are making me feel unloved. D:**

"Have a safe walk home!"

The girl waved her friends off, only partially disregarding their advice. After all, how could she possibly ignore all the happenings in Fuyuki City that had the public outcrying for protection? Ignoring such things went against her very nature as a human being. Her home was just past the shopping district, so it wasn't a long walk, but she still kept her ears open, finding it impossible to not be paranoid.

She made it all the way to the next intersection before she began to feel uneasy.

The air around her dropped in temperature, and she hugged herself in a futile attempt to keep warm.

'Were the street lamps down this road always this dim?'

As the path darkened further she veered from her normal course. Her entire being was telling her to stay away from the darkness.

She walked quickly now, trying to outpace the monsters that she felt behind her, the monsters that she knew were nonexistent.

She began to run.

The street lights grew dimmer and dimmer.

She heard something move in the shadows, and her breath hitched.

Somewhere... a circuit breaker tripped.

Darkness...

The lights of the street could no longer protect her.

She began to run.

'Run...'

She felt it behind her.

'Run...'

It made no sound, she could not see it.

'RUN!'

She FELT it.

She tripped...

Not over her own feet, not because of a simple mistake, like in those old horror movies.

No, what she tripped over was the very thing giving chase to her.

She turned, sitting up, pushing herself away from what now lay in front of her.

It had no discernible shape.

She could no longer see the street around her, she felt like she was no longer in the city. Everything was pure, unfiltered Darkness.

Her right foot was the first thing to go...

It was crushed under the pressure of the darkness, and... and it was swallowed by something...

Her vision turned red as she felt the blood seep out of her leg. She saw stars, she felt an indescribable pain.

Her entire right leg was gone within a matter of seconds. She could hear the bones being crushed under the pure pressure, she could feel the thing... whatever it was, eating her alive. She let out a blood curdling scream...

'Make it stop...'

'Stop it!'

As if sensing her torment, as if it enjoyed it, the darkness slowed its meal, appreciating each and every organ and bone...

'Oh God, please make it stop...'

The girl's memories faded.

Her mind blanked...

All she cared about was making the pain stop...

But it wouldn't stop...

It wouldn't stop eating...

It was not a quick death...

* * *

**'Shirou... A super hero can't save everyone... no matter how hard he tries, someone always gets hurt.'**

He knew that...

He knew that, and still he chased after his ideal, still... he pursued it relentlessly.

**'Drown in your ideals and die!'**

His white hair, his silver eyes, they were proof that he had suffered.

He hated the world around him, became bitter that he had nothing left...

But still...

Why did it feel good every time someone was saved?

Why did he never stop?

Why did he let people betray him?

Why did he let his own ideal betray him?

**'I have created over a thousand blades.'**

**Day 7: Gruesome Incidents**

Breakfast was silent the next morning, and Shirou was cooking for Rider in Fujimura's place, as the teacher had gone on ahead to her archery club. Shirou had decided it was best if he repeated what he did last time, and stayed home for the duration of the Holy Grail War. The group of six ate without a word, the only sound echoing in the dining room was the silverware and chopsticks. Ilya and Saber both looked to Shirou, who was trying to concentrate on his meal. Finally fed up, Shirou frowned, "Aren't you going to eat Rider."

When he called to her she looked slightly surprised, as if he had said something that caught her off guard. "It is unnecessary to cook for me," she said softly, "I am not like Saber."

"Still," interrupted Sakura, "That doesn't mean you can't eat, Senpai went to the trouble of making it."

Rider frowned and complied, reaching for her chopsticks.

Shirou breathed a sigh of relief when the tension in the atmosphere dissipated.

"I'm sorry Senpai," continued Sakura, "I should have told you that I knew what was going on."

"So you knew about Saber when she first got here?" asked Shirou.

Sakura nodded, "Yes, I was hoping that you wouldn't get involved."

"That explains why you were so worried about me a month ago. Well, the thing is..." said Shirou, "We're out to destroy the Holy Grail, not fight for it."

"I have a question," said Rin, "You're Rider's master, right Sakura? So what does that mean... about Shinji I mean? He was Rider's master in the fifth Holy Grail War. Your magic seems to be superior to his."

"Indeed," said Saber with a nod, "Rider was much more formidable with you as her Master."

"Thank you," said Rider, "You were very powerful and devoted yourself to every strike."

"Well I'm glad you two are getting along," said Shirou sarcastically.

Sakura giggled a little before answering Rin's question, "Shinji..." she looked like it pained her to recall his name, "He was never really Rider's master, or a mage for that matter. I gave Rider to him so that I wouldn't have to fight."

"I want you to stay here while the Holy Grail War is going on," said Shirou. "The house is big, and we have plenty of room."

Ilya kicked him under the table.

"OW, wha...?"

"I disagree," said the snow-haired girl, "Sakura can take care of herself, she has Rider. I understand cooperating with her to destroy the Holy Grail, but she doesn't need to stay here."

"Ilya, what's gotten into you?" asked Shirou.

Ilya's eyes narrowed, "It's not that I don't like her," she said, "I bet Sakura and I could get along rather well actually. I just don't want her staying here."

Rin raised an eyebrow, "In case you haven't noticed, Sakura has nowhere to go," she said firmly, "Her staying here with us is the best option."

"I won't stop her from staying here Onii-chan," continued Ilya, completely ignoring Rin's remark, "But I wouldn't reccomend it... at all."

"Ilya?"

The girl reached down for her cup and took a sip from it, "I warned you Onii-chan."

* * *

"Let me up!"

Saber raised an eyebrow.

Shirou looked down at the small girl jumping up and down.

"She's joking, right?" Shirou asked Saber.

Saber smiled and tilted her head towards Ilya, "Does it look like she's joking to you?"

Saber and Shirou had left thirty minutes ago to go shopping for groceries in the market district. Much to Shirou's chagrin, Ilya had tagged along, and was now asking for a piggy-back ride... right in the middle of the street. Shirou sighed, getting down on one knee and putting his hands behind his back. Ilya jumped on his back, knocking some of the air out of his lungs. He rolled his eyes, "Alright, up we go!"

With that small warning, he suddenly stood, causing Ilya to hold on for dear life, "WAH!"

Saber smiled.

"Alright!" shouted Shirou, "Here we go!"

"AHHH! I didn't tell you to run Onii-chan!"

"Hahahahaha, you're the one who wanted a piggy-back ride!"

Saber sighed when Shirou ran down the street with Ilya.

"Well don't they look happy?"

Saber turned around to face the voice.

The tall woman with glasses, Lillian, and her servant Archer stood in front of her, though Archer simply wore jeans and a T-shirt, instead of his trademark cloak. "How nice it is to see you again dear Arturia."

Saber raised an eyebrow, "So you know who I am now."

"Yes, my Master could not erm... keep the cat in the bag so to speak..."

Lillian's eyebrow twitched, "Are you saying I have a big mouth?"

"Not at all dear, not at all."

Saber's right hand twitched.

"No need for that," said Archer quickly, "We are not here to fight, rather... we came to propose an alliance of sorts."

"This makes things easier," said Saber, "We had intended to do the very same."

Lillian stepped forward, adjusting her glasses as the group of three watched Shirou play with Ilya. "It seems there's a bit of a problem," she said softly to Saber. "And as a magus I simply cannot ignore something of this caliber."

"What's been happening?" asked Saber.

"We found a body last night... erm... what was left of a body anyways..." answered Archer. "Toes, fingers, little parts like that, disturbing business really. The place was echoing with leftover magical energy. We believe that the victim was eaten."

Saber gritted her teeth, "Eaten by what?"

Lillian shook her head, "We do not know. Though I have figured out it has something to do with the Holy Grail."

"Indeed," said Archer, "It would be foolish to pursue such a pipe dream while the innocent are suffering. I have no intent to go after the Holy Grail if it means more people will suffer, however, this is not to say that the other Masters and Servants will stop their relentless fighting. Though, from what I gathered with Lillian, it's better to cooperate as much as possible at this point in time. I have a feeling that whoever that poor soul was will not be the last."

'Something... ate a human being,' thought Saber, her fists tightening.

"Meet us at the old park at midnight, we have much to discuss," said Lillian.

* * *

The park was quiet. Saber and Shirou approached cautiously, trailed by Rin, who had absolutely insisted that she come along. As they walked, Shirou remembered the sight of the fire, the heat of the burning buildings. "Shirou?" asked Rin.

"I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth.

It looked even more ominous in the winter time, when the trees held nothing on them, and the ground was barren and covered with snow. Right now it was blooming. However, the moonlight did little to illuminate the Sakura blossoms' beauty. Whether it looked healthy or not, this place only reminded Shirou of that hell ten years ago.

Lillian and Archer waited for them in the center of the park, under the countless trees.

"Ah, it seems you are here," said Lillian, "I suppose this solidifies our partnership."

"Our goal was to destroy the Holy Grail from the beginning," said Shirou.

Lillian smiled, "Naturally, after all, you were the victor, you had no choice but to destroy it."

"How did you find out about it?" he asked.

"Oh, I have my sources, Archer was of particular help, his fingers are very sneaky."

Archer smirked under his hood, "It is what I am famous for dear."

"As I was telling Arturia at the market this afternoon, there has been something... or someone rather... causing trouble for the people in Fuyuki city. I come from London myself, it would be very advantageous if you would agree to assist me, as you grew up here."

Rin stepped forward, "I'll agree in a second flat, but tell me..."

Lillian raised an eyebrow and Rin continued, "What do you know of the Makiri family?"

"Makiri family?" asked Shirou, "I know about the Einzberns and your family Rin, who are the Makiris?"

Rin shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, "The Makiris are the dead line of magi in this region. They moved here for the sole purpose of obtaining the Holy Grail, but the ley line of the land couldn't support them. There's enough mana in this land to power a large school of magi for centuries, but it didn't fit with the Makiris. They moved here, changing their name to Matou..."

Shirou's eyes widened, "You mean Sakura?"

"Yes," said Rin, gritting her teeth, "I'm stupid and I should have told you before, but... I was hoping that Sakura couldn't get involved... I was wrong... The Makiri line died with Shinji, he couldn't use magic, so it was a surprise that he was commanding Rider a month ago. Even more so when Sakura turned out to be Rider's real Master. Listen to me Shirou, the reason I came along with you on this is because I think that whatever is happening out here is connected with the Matous, and I want to find that old man and wring his neck."

'The old man... Zouken,' thought Shirou, his fists clenching.

"It's already too late," called a mocking voice.

Saber was in front of Shirou in an instant.

Caster and his Master, the kid that could be no older than a Freshman, stepped out from the brush. "You should have killed me when you had the chance Emiya."

"Who are you?" growled Shirou.

"It's too bad my cousins not here, I would have enjoyed saying hi, we haven't seen each other in so long, I saw you giving her a piggy back ride earlier today."

Shirou gritted his teeth, "You're..."

"Frederick von Einzbern," said the boy, sneering at Shirou.

"You are a fool Einzbern," said Archer, "Saber is here, as well as three powerful mages, and yet you risk your own life stepping from the shadows?"

"Caster told me of your betrayal Archer, so I simply followed you and ended up here, those other three are merely consolation prizes."

"You speak as if you stand a chance," said Saber.

Frederick smirked, "Because I do."

Rin smirked, "Let's see you put your money where your mouth is then."

"Kill them," he said, waving his hand as if to dismiss the group.

Caster approached them quickly, in but three bounds he was within range. Without even uttering a single word he waved his hands, and projectiles sprouted forth. He stopped several paces away from them and waved his hand once more.

Rin was pushed back, a projectile nicked and burned her shoulder, 'Fire,' she thought. With no hesitation she threw her hands above her head, "Steigen Erde!" A wall of rock pushed itself from the ground, absorbing the remaining projectiles.

Lillian and Archer retreated to support from the rear. Crowding the battlefield would be of no use. Archer drew his bow and took careful aim, ready t fire at a moment's notice.

Saber took a deep breath, blocking the projectiles with Avalon as she began to feel the weight of her armor on her shoulders.

"Interesting," said Caster with a smirk, "You look quite different Saber, very... ladylike now."

Saber's eyes narrowed and she dug her feet into the ground.

"Not only that," continued Caster, "It seems your Master is finally giving you an ample supply of mana. I must say I like your new dress."

With no further hesitation, Saber closed the distance between them in a single leap, clashing swords with Caster just as he pulled his from his cloak. "I see your appearance is still the only thing ladylike about you," he sneered. Saber withdrew her blade, ducking a blow that Caster sent for her neck. She thrust her sword under the small opening, forcing Caster to retreat to a distant position.

An arrow, true to its mark, came flying from Archer's bow.

It was narrowly blocked by Caster.

"Master," said Caster.

"Just worry about fighting Saber and those two mages, I'll take care of the stray dogs," said Frederick with a smirk.

Caster untied his cloak at the neck, throwing it to the side. He took a deep defensive stance, and Saber did not move from her position. Caster's hair was long, and his eyes were black as night. Around his neck was a necklace with the symbol of the Templar attached to it. "You were a Templar," muttered Rin.

Caster smirked, "Ah, but there were many famed Templars, can you figure out which one I am?"

Caster threw his arms out and looked up to the sky, as if welcoming the Heavens. "Here me Lord... let the thunders of Jerusalem rain down!"

"Saber, get down!" shouted Rin. She ran for Shirou and tackled him to the ground, hoping Saber had managed to hear her.

Thunder rained down from the Heavens themselves, tearing apart the very foundation of Fuyuki's park. It was like an Earthquake, and the trio felt the hairs on the back of their necks stand at attention. It was an onslaught of epic proportions that only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Rin's ears were ringing from the noise and force of the attack, Saber had been hit, and steam was rising from her slumped shoulder. Shirou, luckily, had avoided harm.

"Very goooood," mocked Caster, "But can you dodge it twice Saber?"

"I won't need to," said the King, "You won't get the opportunity Balain."

"Ah, so you know my name."

Saber smirked, "It was not difficult, Balain was famous for losing Jerusalem, after all."

Caster frowned, "I did NOT lose my city to those barbarians!"

"History says differently."

* * *

Frederick charged Archer, sending him running for better distance. Lillian could only fire potshots at the mage, hoping she wouldn't hit Archer, they were both moving so fast. Frederick was clearly using mana to move his legs and give him abnormal speed. Lillian gritted her teeth, he was an Einzbern, they specialized in magic of the mind, which meant that no matter what, Frederick could not be allowed to get near Archer.

It was a lose lose scenario, since Frederick approached them Archer had not gotten a single chance to fire off his bow.

"You look rather well off for yourself!" mocked Archer, "Perhaps you should spread some of that wealth among the people, I could do it for you!"

"Don't make me laugh!" shouted Frederick.

"You haven't attacked me yet boy, I don't know what your planning but I'll not let you lay a hand on me."

This was a stalemate, the battle would have to be decided by Shirou, Saber and Rin. Unless Lillian could find a way to stop him dead in his tracks...

"Archer, use it!"

"Are you sure dear?"

"Yes, just do it!"

"Very well."

* * *

Saber grasped her burnt shoulder and gritted her teeth in pain. "I'll finish you off before you can use your Noble Phantasm again!" She stabbed her invisible Excalibur into the ground, and the wind around the park began to pick up. A flash, and Excalibur was exposed.

"I see," said Caster, still frowning, "So that is why my magic did not simply destroy you that night, I thought it was strange."

"You must have been a powerful magus Bailan, to have penetrated my barrier like that. However, I will not allow a self righteous Templar to best me in battle. Shirou, Rin, stay down!"

Saber pulled her sword from the ground. She reached behind her head and pulled the ribbon from her hair, letting it fall out. Her strong foot placed itself firmly, and her eyes focused on the target in front of her. "I will cleave you in two Templar!"

Caster's eyes widened. "Himmel Wand!" He threw his arms in front of himself out of fear. An invisible wall erected itself in front of where he stood, but even being a magic powerful enough for him to let out a chant... it still would not be enough to stop the monster in front of him.

She brought the sword to her feet and dragged it on the ground, running towards her opponent.

"EX..."

Bailan the Templar prayed to his God...

To forgive him of his past sins...

To absolve him of his misdeeds...

"...CALIBUR!"

She brought Excalibur up in an upward arc, cleaving Caster in two violently, annihilating the trees and bushes behind him, and sending the beam up to the Heavens.

It split the clouds.

Shirou and Rin looked on in wonder as Caster's body was completely disintegrated.

* * *

Frederick did not stop.

Archer did...

The distance was closed almost instantly...

The two clashed.

"Archer!" shouted Lillian.

Archer's hand was clutching the boy's forehead, and the boy looked as if her were a reflection. Both their hands tightened, it was now left to the one with the most will.  
Archer had lived his life on the run, always fighting for what he believed in, but the boy was a magus, born and raised to be ruthless, effeciant, and merciless. "Noble Phantasm! The Great Thief!" He pulled an arrow from his cloak and impaled Frederick in the stomach, and arrow that was not meant to harm, but to steal the boy's every skill and experience. "This is something you should share," said Archer, smirking.

'...YA'

"After all, the experiences of others are a valuable thing."

"Shut up!" shouted Frederick. The mage's hand dug into the hero's skull, trying to drive out his mind. But still... Archer would not fall. "I will not lose to you!"  
shouted the boy.

'...LYA'

"Give up," said Archer, "Your Servant is gone, the Holy Grail is not what you think it is."

"Shut up!"

'ILYA!'

Memories cascaded into Archer's mind, it was like reading a book in a matter of seconds.

A small boy, trained from day one to be merciless, heartless, always pursuing the Holy Grail for the good of the family.

The boy saw his cousin Ilyasviel obtain Berserker and suffer for it.

He saw her leaving, no emotions were left in her.

Yet just that day, he saw that man playing with her in the market.

The emotionless girl was laughing.

"Get out of my mind!" shouted Frederick.

"I could say the same for you boy."

The boy was beaten...

The boy suffered...

The boy cried...

It was all her fault...

It was all Ilya's fault...

* * *

"Frederick."

"Ilyasviel?"

The garden was alive, with the sound of chirping birds, and the morning sun peaking over the horizen.

They met on that fateful day.

"Call me Ilya," she said with a smile.

"Then you can call me Fred."

She smiled, and he smiled back.

* * *

The boy crumpled under Archer's grasp, giving up his spell without further fight.

'Dammit,' he thought.

It was all her fault...

It was all Ilya's fault that he couldn't be heartless, all her fault that his father couldn't be proud of him.

Without a word, Archer laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Saber!" shouted Shirou, rushing out and catching her as she collapsed.

"I'm fine," she muttered, smiling up at Shirou, "I just need... to rest." She reached up and put her hand against his cheek. A moment later it fell to her side when she fainted. He picked Saber up gently, and her head fell onto his shoulder.

Everything froze.

"Shirou," said Rin, her voice laced with fright.

"I feel it," said the sword mage.

Around them, the shadows of the park seemed to have a life of their own.

It felt like...

Everything they stood against was converging on this one point.

"Shirou," her voice was shaking, "I think I know what ate that person."

"MOVE!" shouted Shirou.

Neither of them hesitated, they immediately ran in the direction they had come from. Before they knew it, Lillian was at their side, as well as Archer, carrying Frederick.

Shirou pumped mana into his legs, allowing it to carry him faster, farther.

If any one of them slowed down in the slightest, the shadow without shape would be upon them in an instant, and their life would end there.

Shirou's mind flashed...

* * *

Saber struggled to pull her feet from the darkness...

It burned...

Consuming her very essence...

Turning her into something she did not want to be...

'I'm sorry... Shirou.'

* * *

Shirou gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain in his legs, he could not let whatever this shadow was catch Saber.

Maybe they ran for miles, maybe they ran for yards...

It all felt the same...

With that feeling of utter and complete doom on their heels.

If they slowed they would be consumed, just like that person...

"Shirou!"

That was Rin...

The group stopped.

Almost as if the action was automatic, he handed Saber off to Lillian. "Go," he said.

And then he did something that went against his every instinct, he ran back towards the shadow.

Rin had fallen, and it looked like her ankle was burned. The shadow had tripped her up.

"You idiot!" she shouted, "Don't come back!"

"Don't shout for help if you don't want me to!" he snipped back.

The shadow lashed out for Rin...

He moved, covering the distance in one bound...

It held him...

It was a gentle hold...

But it burned with a fire he didn't know existed...

It held his left arm in its grasp...

He though he heard Rin calling for him, but he couldn't be too sure...

His mind blanked...

He saw faces.

Countless faces, calling out for help.

**'Die.'**

The darkness seeped into him.

He wanted to kill.

He wanted to be killed.

**'Die!'**

He didn't know who he was anymore.

It laced into him, as if it belonged in his body, and he didn't.

**'Diediedidiediediedie!'**

**"EmIYa sHiROu."**

He saw blood.

He saw his severed left arm.

He saw Sakura, calling out for help.

He saw Saber being consumed.

He saw his mind being wiped out.

He saw swords sticking from his back.

He saw Rider.

**'DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!'**

_**'Pull yourself out!'**_

A voice that cracked through the insanity.

_**'Don't let it consume you!'**_

He heard Kotomine's voice, "Who are you to say if it is evil or not, it has yet to be born."

Kotomine never said that.

_**'Pull yourself out!'**_

He pulled, he pulled with all his might.

_**'Shirou!'**_

He saw a formless person next to him.

He couldn't make out the person's features, but just looking at him was enough. The man helping him pull his left arm away looked battered, broken by time itself. It was as if he was stripped of every last small hope in his body.

Shirou knew this person...

And yet he did not...

He saw a boy being strapped down to a stone slab, forced to endure insults and tortures, tattooed with every sin known to man.

He saw the boy being called All Evils of the World.

_**'Keep pulling!'**_

This man, who had no reason to help him, no reason to help anyone for that matter...

This man, who was helping pull him out of this darkness...

"Come with me," said Shirou.

And the man's eyes widened.

"Come with me," he repeated. "Leave all this behind."

_**'What...'**_

_**

* * *

**_

"SABER!"

Shirou gave his arm one last pull and broke free from the shadow.

It screeched, as if going through an insurmountable pain.

Shirou had managed to pull himself free, but the part of the shadow that held his left arm still covered it.

It seeped into his skin, sending a great pain through his arm and chilling his body.

"Shirou!" shouted Rin, rushing to his side as the shadow retreated.

A momentary lapse...

A familiar face...

He felt his mind fade and the world left him.


	9. Chapter 8

Everything was dark and cold.

It was a feeling he was used to... after having endured it for so long.

**'All Evils of the World.'**

**'Angra Manyuu.'**

**'Devil.'**

**'Monster'**

**'Spawn of darkness.'**

_'I won't let it consume me... a bitter and hateful people. Fools that cradle their suffering, and then thrust it upon the arms of a small boy... yet, I cannot bring myself to hate them. You have shown me much in the time that I have followed you... Emiya Shirou.'_

Tattoos forced upon his entire body.

Slurs, slanders, stones, all thrown...

_'I have seen you many times, yet this is the first time you've truly seen me. I find it ironic that it is in your dreams. I have seen you fail many times, I have seen you die time and time again, I have seen your world destroyed from the inside out.'_

"Who are you?"

_'I don't see why I need to answer, you already know. My presence in this world has already effected your memory. You are remembering things that have not happened in this world, things that will not happen.'_

"Saber dying..."

_'One of many, yes. Tread carefully, you'll soon find that your enemy is closer than you think. My presence brings with it a gift, as well as a curse. Do you remember the chant?'_

_**"I have created over a thousand blades **_

_**Unknown to death **_

_**Nor known to life."**_

**Day 8: The Matou Lineage**

Rin stroked his hair gently as he slept, she spoke softly, "Have withstood pain to create many weapons, yet these hands will never hold anything."

"So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works."

Shirou's room went deathly silent when she finished the soft prayer that she had seen in her dreams. Shirou had fainted the night before, it was two in the afternoon now, and he still had yet to wake up. "I guess it's stupid... hoping for such a miracle," she whispered, giving a bitter smile. "I'm such an idiot."

"I... I wanted you to come to London with me, and I wanted you to be with me. Having you as an apprentice was just a dumb excuse..." She choked, bringing a hand to her mouth as the tears began to fall, "It's funny... I know... why I'm crying and I can't even bring myself to say it... I don't deserve you, not even as a friend. Saber is so much better for you." She wiped her eyes, "It wouldn't work anyways... now that Saber is back. I can't ask that of you anymore Shirou, not after all that's happened, but... if there's one thing I want to ask you... please... please wake up."

She felt a hand lay on her shoulder.

When she looked up, she saw Saber in her home clothes, hair tied back into a tight bun.

The King knelt next to her and wrapped her arms around her friend.

Rin stopped crying, but she wrapped her arms around Saber hesitantly, "I'm selfish, aren't I? You were right there listening, huh?" she asked softly.

"No one can control who they fall in love with Rin."

"Ha, it would be way too simple if that were the case, then I wouldn't have to worry about this idiot so much."

Saber pulled back and smiled gently, "I suppose that's true," she said softly, "But I would rather have to worry about Shirou... than not have him with us at all. Shirou is like an anchor for all of us. To be honest, I do not know what would happen if he disappeared. He'll wake up Rin."

Rin nodded, "Thanks Saber, and I'm sorry, I won't interfere or anything."

* * *

"Somethings not right Lillian..."

"You don't have to point out obvious facts to me Archer."

The town was quiet.

The main intersection, normally with a few people walking down it even at night, was completely deserted. The moon was the only thing keeping the Master and the Servant company. No sounds of crickets or night bugs could be heard. Lights were on as they passed houses, but it seemed nobody was home. "Fifteen houses," said Lillian, grinding her teeth, "Fifteen houses without a single trace of the people who live there. When Gwen gets word of this she's going to skin me alive!"

"I wouldn't worry about the Magic Association Lillian, we have to do all we can to find out what's going on in Fuyuki."

"The Magic Association is ALL I have to worry about Archer! If they see that something this extreme is happening in Fuyuki, they will call a purge, do you know what that means?"

"Refresh my memory, your lessons were dull and uninteresting."

Lillian sighed, "It means that the Magic Association will detach a unit, said unit will come into Fuyuki and purge anything and everything that has to do with magic. That INCLUDES mages. If we don't find out what's going on, London will come down on us without mercy."

"Lillian, calm down."

"I... I need to make a few calls, I still have people in England that owe me favors..."

"They wouldn't be able to get here soon enough," he said softly, laying his hands on her shoulders, "Lillian, whatever it is that we're up against, whatever is consuming these people... we're on our own, no matter how you look at it."

She shook her head, "Don't say that Archer. I've never even seen anything like this, please don't say that."

"Listen to me! Where did this incident begin? The park correct? So now we must take the next logical step, why did this start happening? Use your head."

"I don't know," said Lillian, bringing her hands to her forehead, "We went to the park to investigate and meet up with Emiya..."

"And?"

"And we were attacked... but... before that..."

"Yes?"

"Tohsaka... she said something about..."

"Lillian?"

"No!"

Lillian was running before Archer could ask her what she was thinking about. She was running the direction they came from. She looked over her shoulder, "Archer, go to the Matou mansion and investigate, don't leave that place until you've found everything that you can, I'll go back to Emiya's home!"

He nodded, dashing off in the other direction as fast as his legs could carry him. He knew his Master's thought process now. Rin Tohsaka had mentioned the Makiri line of mages, seemingly out of the blue.

'So that's the answer,' he thought bitterly.

* * *

Rin took a deep breath, 'I'm sorry... Shirou.' She pulled the knife gently from the drawer, not even bothering to close it. She knew that Shirou couldn't possibly forgive her for what she was about to do. She walked slowly down the hall, knife in hand. She made her way outside...

Her feet were carrying her as if they had their own will...

Everything in her mind was screaming at her to turn back...

She couldn't stop now...

She swallowed deep.

'I can't let my emotions get in the way now.'

* * *

They were young...

"HAHA, aren't you gonna do anything to get your lunch back?"

The boys taunted her, dancing around her.

She just stood there, taking their abuse without word or expression.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

"Shit, it's Tohsaka, run for it!"

Like the grade school bullies they were, they took off in the other direction.

"Jeez," said Rin, shaking her head as she approached the quiet girl. "I'm really sorry about those jerks. Here, you can have my lunch."

The girl smiled, it was barely there, but her lips had managed to upturn slightly, "Thank you," she said softly.

* * *

'Dammit.'

Her face was stone, but her insides were being torn apart.

Her feet were carrying her against her will.

'This is my duty as a magus.'

She opened the door silently, taking another deep breath.

* * *

"Sakura, I heard you started going to Emiya-kun's place, is that true?"

The girl blushed deeply, "Erm... I uh... it's just... Senpai is hurt, and as his junior it's my duty to take care of him!"

"Oh ho, do you like Emiya-kun? Maybe I should help you write him a love letter, you could leave it in his shoe locker!"

"T... that's not true at all!"

* * *

'If I don't do this... more people will die...'

Her legs felt like stone, but she was standing above the girl before she wanted to be...

No... she never wanted it to come to this...

She raised the knife...

And the boundary field kicked up when she muttered the spell under her breath.

A boundary field that Rider would not be able to penetrate for at least a minute...

Plenty of time to do what needed to be done.

* * *

"Man, Emiya-kun sure is dense when it comes to girls, maybe I should tell him for you!"

"No, please don't do that. A lot of boys like Tohsaka-senpai."

Tohsaka smirked, "Afraid I'll spirit him away from you?"

The girl frowned.

* * *

Her hands were shaking.

Her face was stone.

Her feet were set.

* * *

"You didn't tell me you were staying with Senpai."

"I'm sorry," she said reluctantly, "We got a bit ahead of ourselves, you're not down for the count though!"

The girl smiled.

* * *

**'You're contradicting yourself, you can't save everyone Emiya-kun.'**

**'I know, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing my best.'**

Her grip around the knife was so tight that her knuckles were turning white, she began to lose feeling in her hands.

Thirty seconds...

She had thirty seconds to do what needed to be done...

The knife came down...

"God... I can't do it."

... and clattered to the ground at her feet.

The boundary field dropped, and she felt Rider's intense stare boring into the back of her neck, but the Servant did not move from behind Rin. Her face of stone crumpled in an instant, she felt the tears fall from her eyes, but she made no sound. "I can't do it," she said softly, "I can't do it."

A whisper, "Why not Onee-chan?"

"I don't know," said Rin softly, "I thought I'd be able to do it, but I can't. We didn't even grow up together, but I still..."

The sheets of Sakura's bed shuffled lightly. She stood slowly, bare feet touching the ground. Rin's sister walked from the room quietly.

Rider followed her Master wordlessly.

In the quiet hall stood a tall man, a familiar figure, "Senpai," she said softly.

"Close, but not quite."

His voice was wrong.

The moon shined through the window, revealing Emiya Shirou. Her Senpai stood in her path. He was still in the soft cloth they had put him in after he had fainted. His hair was an unnatural black, and seemed to take on a life of its own. On his forearms past the sleeves, Sakura could faintly make out tattoos. They were horrible things that turned her stomach, suffering humans, crimes committed against man, blood, mayhem, destruction, carnage.

Depictions of many sins and many wrong-doings. She pulled her eyes away from the grotesque imagery.

"I'm not going to stop you," he said abruptly, "But your boyfriend might disagree with me."

"Who are you?"

"That's besides the point. Like I said, I don't intend to stop you, but if you walk out that door I can no longer guarantee your safety. You're on the edge of a knife right now, and walking away from Emiya will only tilt it further. The old man will find you, he will wriggle around inside you, he will eat you alive, and you will have no choice but to submit."

Sakura stayed silent.

"Isn't it strange?" continued the man, "The supervisor has yet to show themselves, perhaps there is no supervisor at all. After all, this isn't exactly what you would call a normal Holy Grail War, taking place merely a month after the fifth. Supposedly they replaced Kirei, but I have a feeling the replacement is dead in a ditch somewhere."

"I can't let Senpai be hurt because of me. I have to find Grandfather."

"So he can what? Use that worm inside of you to wipe out your mind? Don't make me laugh girl, the power you hold in his hands will bring about the end of it all much faster."

"Senpai can stop him. If it was still me, I don't think he could do it, but if I'm not me anymore..."

The man scoffed, crossing his arms, "That's a very naive way of thinking. Whatever is inside you is just dying to get out, trust me, I know that thing better than anyone. It never stops being hungry, it will eat, and eat, and eat until there is nothing left. First it will be your boyfriend, and once I'm stuck with that cursed thing again it will haul me around like a puppet on a string. After that it will be your sister, and then Rider, and then Saber, and then Fujimura. After that it will be the whole city, and then the country, and then the world. It will go beyond the vast expanses of space itself, consuming everything in its path."

"I have to go."

"...Fine, don't say I didn't warn you girl. Emiya will come after you, you know."

* * *

The table was quiet at dinner time. Shirou had finally awoken, much to Rin's relief. However...

Shirou set down the chopsticks, "Where are Sakura and Rider?" he asked simply.

Ilya and Rin looked at each other, and Saber kept silent. It was then that the door to the dining room flew open, revealing an out of breath Lillian. "Thank God!" she shouted, "You're awake!" She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure, and adjusted her glasses. She cleared her throat, "Archer is at the Matou mansion investigating, and I believe an explanation is in order."

"Let me," said Rin softly.

"What is this about?" asked Shirou.

Rin continued, "The Matou line died out in this land, I was saying something along those lines earlier. They became desperate enough to adopt a magi from another family into their ranks. The magi they were adopting happened to be my sister... Tohsaka Sakura..."

"Wait," said Shirou, "This... this isn't right... Zouken..."

Rin nodded, "Matou Zouken is a desperate and decrepit old man. He is a mage adept in the specialty of insects. He has developed a way to extend his life by using the worms he harvests to posses human beings."

"No, that's not what I'm saying," said Shirou, "I think... I think that one of those things is in Sakura!"

"It's called a crest worm," confirmed Rin, "When she was adopted it was planted in her as her process of becoming a mage. It allows Zouken to have complete control over her actions. He can make her do whatever he wants."

"When did you find all this out?" he asked.

"Just last night," she said softly, "I went to the Matou mansion while you were asleep Shirou. I found Zouken's journals. Shirou, Sakura has been..."

No...

No, he didn't want to hear this...

"Shut up!" he said sharply.

Saber's eyes widened, "Shirou?"

Rin frowned, "Sakura was raised from day one for one specific purpose..."

Shirou stood from the table violently, grabbing his hair and pulling...

Memories that weren't his flooded into his mind...

The black shadow...

Consuming hundreds...

It killed Saber...

NO!

No... he killed Saber...

God... He killed Saber with his own hands...

He had no choice...

Saber was gone, she would have killed him if he hadn't...

Rin continued, unperturbed. "Zouken raised her to be a mage, a puppet... for the purpose of being a vessel of the Holy Grail."

Ilya's eyes narrowed, "I knew it," she said bitterly.

Shirou gritted his teeth, he could hear them grinding under the strain...

He knew...

He knew all this already...

Rin wasn't telling him anything new at all...

It was there all along...

His hands dropped to his side.

"A normal human, even a mage, like Sakura, can't handle the strain of the Holy Grail. We found out in the last war that the Holy Grail absorbs Servants in order to gain power and grant its supposed wish. With all that power, along with the darkness of the Holy Grail, flowing into her, Sakura will eventually break under the pressure. Even if the Servants stop fighting it will slowly chip away at her, and she will crumble, and in doing so become a heretic, to be hunted by the Magic Association."

"It's why I was created as a homunculus," said Ilya softly, "A homunculus is a shell, I have my own feelings, and I am not discernible from a human, but I am not completely a human either, which is why being a vessel has no effect on me."

"So... that thing going around eating people..." Shirou's stomach turned.

"It's not a thing at all," said Rin sadly, "It's my sister."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" muttered Shirou.

"I didn't tell you because I was going to kill her..."

The room went quiet.

"We have to find her," said Shirou, "We have to leave now and find her. I don't care if we have to search all night!"

"That is a sure route to death Hero," said Archer, walking into the dining around Lillian, "Unless you want to be roasted in pure evil, I suggest we come up with some sort of battle plan. I found at the mansion, along with what the good lady has just mentioned, Zouken's current whereabouts."

Shirou shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose...

Memories that didn't belong to him...

He saw Cu Chulain being consumed in a black lake.

He saw Hercules' skin burn from his bone.

He saw his arm...

Not his arm...

Eating away at his mind...

"We can't kill anymore Servants," said Shirou sternly, "And we can't kill the Master's either. Archer, where did you leave Frederick?"

"I left him with the police."

"Good, that's one less thing to worry about."

Saber shook her head, "That is easier said than done Shirou. There are still three potential Servants that can be absorbed by Sakura. One of them, Rider, is at her beck and call. Berserker and Lancer are sure to encounter each other one way or the other."

"We disable them," said Shirou. "Rin, I have an idea. Saber had to conserve her energy in the last war because she was cut off from my magic circuit, right?"

Rin nodded, "I think I see where this is going."

"Is there a way to cut off a Master from their Servant?"

"Yes, but I'll have to use a few of my jewels to do it, so you'll owe me big time."

"Good, I want you to work on that. Saber, Ilya, you're coming with me to find Sakura."

"Gladly," said the King.

Ilya nodded.

"Rin, you go with Archer and Lillian and work on disabling the Servants."

"What if you run into one of them while searching for Sakura?" asked Rin.

"That's why I'm bringing Ilya along," he said simply, "She specializes in magic of the mind, she can call for you at a moments notice, and I'm confident that Saber can hold back a Servant without killing them until you arrive."

Shirou clenched his fists. 'Sakura,' he thought, 'Hang on just a bit longer.'


	10. Chapter 8 Pt2

**Cloud: Sorry for the short chapter, this day will be split into three parts. There's a lot of stuff going on Air Focre wise, and I wanted to get something out to you guys, sorry if it seems a bit rushed, it's only half of what was meant to be posted. PLEASE REVIEW! You guys are KILLING me. I know you're all enjoying the story because I get fave and alert notifications, but I want to know what you think of it!**

The mansion seemed dead.

That was the first thing that came to Emiya Shirou's mind as he approached the Matou estates. The damage from Saber's battle with Berserker did little for its overall complaxion. The the entire west wing had been blown away by Excalibur, and it seemed as if all life had been sucked out of the area with the owner's disappearance. "She's not here," said Shirou flatly.

"Then we should proceed to the Ryudou Temple, Archer said that is where our target awaits us," said Saber.

"Why the Ryudou temple though?"

"You remember? A month ago, the Ryudou temple was the very place we destroyed the Holy Grail. It is the center of Fuyuki's magical ley lines. It is a place so high in mana that a mage can filter amazing amounts of energy from the air itself."

"I remember Rin saying something about it, but... It's strange..."

"What is it?"

"I remember things I shouldn't remember," he said softly, "I see things that I shouldn't be able to see. For some reason... I know that unless we find Sakura soon then something horrible is going to happen."

"Something horrible already happened Shirou, Lillian said entire houses were emptied last night."

"I... I know!"

"Shirou, Sakura is your friend. While we get along I do not know her as you do, therefore, when the time comes to make a decision I will leave it in your hands. There is no longer any right action to take Shirou. Whether we kill her or not, there will be an insurmountable weight to the decision. I watched Kiritsugu destroy himself from the inside out ten years ago, and I did nothing to stop it. He only spoke to me three times during the entire Holy Grail war. When I found out you were his son I was surprised... you were so different from him."

"I'm not really that different at all. We walk down the same path Saber. When I think back to what Kiritsugu did, I know he was seeing it as necessary."

"You would not do that..."

"I don't know anymore," he muttered, "Until I see her... I just don't know."

She laid a hand on his shoulder, "Shirou, no matter what, I will stand by you. All I can tell you is to do what you think is the right thing, there is no other solution."

"Alright Saber, let's..."

Shirou froze mid sentence.

Of course, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Ilya!" he shouted.

He saw movement in the windows of the house, and the girl was by his side in less than a minute, "What is it Onii-chan."

Shirou pushed the girl behind him, and Saber took position next to him, "It seems we have company," said the King.

Walking through the rubble of the half mansion, a woman that looked to be no older than Rin made her way towards them. She wore baggy jeans and a loss fitting red t-shirt, her hair was cropped back in what would be described as a rat tail. She dressed of her opposite gender, "It seems waiting has paid off," she said. Her voice was light, playful almost, "Caster and Assassin are already out of the game, but it's strange... It seems that Saber and Archer are cooperating, I wonder why that could be?"

The hammer in the back of Shirou's head slammed down.

Saber sensed the change in her Master, and immediately donned her armor. The invisible Excalibur weighed her grip, and her white dress seemed to glow under the moon. The girl approaching them smirked, "I guess dad wasn't joking, I can tell how powerful you are from where I'm standing, and I know that I would end up losing."

Saber's grip tightened on her sword, "If you would lose, then why approach us?"

The girl smirked, "Just for the fun of it. My name is Kaguya, and my Servant..."

Her eyes flashed.

Saber was put on the defensive in an instant, being blown back by a lance almost as long as her own body.

The attack seemingly came from nowhere.

Her enemy faced her now, a woman no taller than herself, black hair cut short. She wore what appeared to be a traditional Chinese armor from the feudal ages.

"Lancer," growled Saber.

The woman moved in to attack again.

Saber had faced Lancer many times before, but not one such as this. She was slower than Cuchulain, but her strikes were so fierce that Saber had to put extra effort into blocking them, forcing her to throw herself back into a defensive stance. If things kept up at this rate she would be forced to utilize Avalon.

Kaguya rushed forward, heading straight for Shirou.

"Shirou, look out!" shouted Saber, glancing another blow from the lance.

"Trace, on!"

Shirou crossed his swords when Kaguya's kick came rushing at him. From his training with Saber he could tell the kick was aimed at his temple just by watching the movement, a lethal blow. Shirou pushed when she made contact, causing her to tumble into the ground. She regained her balance after a moment, planting her feet firmly once more, "Projection? You're an interesting one, aren't you?"

Shirou smirked, "I could say the same for you, that kick was something else."

"Then try this on for size!"

She reached behind her, and when she exposed her hands once more she was wearing what appeared to be brass knuckles. However, when Shirou looked closer, there were sharp blades at the tip of each knuckle.

Shirou gritted his teeth, any blow from such a weapon would be life threatening.

He let Kanshou and Bakuya fade from his hands...

"Oh? Giving up?"

No, he needed something smaller...

Something to counteract her lethal techniques...

There!

His eyes snapped open, "Trace, on."

His mind flashed.

That's right, he saw them used recently, it would be a simple task to project them.

He had witnessed these weapons first hand, and they had nearly killed him on more than one occasion.

'Surely, you won't mind if I borrow them Rider...'

Phantom chains wrapped around his arms before solidifying...

His hands grasped the hilt of the giant needles...

He saw history...

Not Rider's history...

But the history of Bellerophon.

Kaguya's eyes widened when she felt the spike in mana from her opponent. She took a defensive stance, but it was already too late.

Shirou closed in on her before she could react adequetly. He was still five meters away from her, but even that was close enough for this particular weapon. Shirou lashed out, and the needle in his right hand was headed straight for Kaguya. She threw up her hands, catching the weapon in her metal knuckles. "Impossible!" she growled, "No one can project a Noble Phantasm like that!"

Shirou smirked, pulling the chain of the needle taught, "You should rethink that train of thought Kaguya."

Her footing slipped, and Shirou lashed out at the advantage with the other needle. She crossed her arms, catching the second attack as she had the first.

'She's heavy on her defense, and she has me locked,' thought Shirou, 'This will end up being a battle of strength.'

* * *

Lancer's blows seemed to be getting heavier, and Saber's footing was giving out, inch by inch.

The silent warrior kept up her assault, never relenting.

Saber pushed all thoughts of Shirou from her head, she knew that he could handle himself against Kaguya, but if she let Lancer through now there wouldn't be a chance to recover from it. She gritted her teeth, 'I won't be able to use Excalibur's final attack if I use Avalon now, but... her attack is just so relentless. If I could get closer and find an opening with Avalon's help, I won't need my last Noble Phantasm.'

Making her decision, the King reached to her side, parrying another blow from the lance.

"In my dream..." she whispered.

Another parry...

"All is a distant utopia..."

Saber pushed forward, pulling Avalon from her waist and glancing another blow from Lancer.

Lancer's eyes widened, and she was blown back through the sheer concussive force of Avalon, thrown into the rubble her Master had emerged from.

'Now is my chance,' thought Saber, rushing forward.

* * *

Kaguya gritted her teeth.

Shirou dug his feet into the ground, sweat dripping down his brow.

He saw strange images.

Bellerophon, impaled in a ghostly looking figure with a skull mask, being thrown around the room like a rag doll.

'Bellerophon is a set of reigns,' he thought. Pulling the chains as tight as he could, Shirou pushed his strong foot even further forward. "Sorry about this," he said softly, "I usually don't hit girls." With this simple announcement, he pulled the chains down with all his might. Kaguya hit the ground with a dull sound, the air leaving her lungs from the impact.

Shirou pulled towards him.

Kaguya took to the air, tangled in Bellerophon.

Shirou caught her by the collar. "Now Ilya!" he shouted to the spectating girl.

* * *

Saber stopped mid-strike, impaled through her gut by the long lance.

"It seems... I underestimated your abilities," said the King, coughing lightly, "You know who I am now, what's your name?"

Without letting off a single emotion, niether thrilled nor humble of her victory, the woman replied, "Hua Mulan."

Saber nodded, as if she already knew the answer.

"Now Ilya!"

Lancer pulled her weapon from the King's stomach, and went to her Master as fast as her legs would carry her.

Pulling her from the mage's grasp, she threw him down to the ground.

Ilya stopped mid-stride, stepping back with pure fright in her eyes. It was impossible for her that someone could defeat her Saber and her Shirou. After all, they were the ones who had bested her guardian in mortal combat. She could not understand what was taking place before her.

"That was a close one," said Kaguya, breathing a sigh of relief. "You can come out now Berserker."

From the shadows stepped forth the beast and his Master.

Shirou pushed himself to his feet, standing a meager yard away from his current opponents.

Berserker and Hall approached Ilya from behind.

They were outnumbered, and Saber was laying on the ground, blood spilling out of her.

For the first time since Saber had returned, Shirou felt truly helpless.

Ilya couldn't call for Rin and the others...

Saber lay defeated...

And Shirou himself was at the mercy of two mages and their Servants, both of which were not aware of the true war they should be fighting, both of which who would do anything to obtain the Holy Grail.

**'You are not a fighter Emiya Shirou.'**

A field of blades, each one of them with a name and shape not their own...

An endless horizon...

A man in red armor...

He saw now, a reflection of himself...

He let out a bitter laugh. Ironic that in the throws of death, he would realize that he became something so despicable.

**'If you meet an opponent you cannot match, then you must imagine that you can match them.'**

_**'Projection and Strengthening? Well that's hardly useful Son. But maybe...'**_

In the back of his vision he saw a small sun, a bright yellow thing...

"It's best to finish him now," said Hall coldly, "He'll only be persistent, even if we do kill Saber."

Saber...

His eyes traced back to the King laying on the ground, her stomach bloodied, Avalon too far away to be of any help. She should have been healed by now, what kind of lance was she hit with?

"I agree, I'll even do it myself," said Kaguya, "Lancer, kill Arthur, would you?"

"As you wish Master."

'If you cannot beat them, imagine that you can...'

Shirou gritted his teeth, "Fuck you," he spat.

"What?" asked Kaguya, tilting her head.

"I said fuck you. I won't imagine anything, I'll MAKE it real."

Lancer moved, but he saw it.

Instead of piercing his heart as had been intended, the lance had impaled itself in his shoulder.

_"I am the bone of my sword,_  
_Steel is my body, and fire is my blood."_

"Kill him quickly!" shouted Hall, "That is a chant!"

Shirou grabbed the lance, preventing it from being pulled from his body.

He analyzed it in an instant.

The lance of Hua Mulan the brave, a hero who was executed for serving her country. A woman serving in the Imperial army, she knew she would die, but she still gave up everything...

His grip tightened even further.

Lancer pulled, but the weapon barely moved.

Surely it was impossible for someone to match her strength... unless he was simply copying it.

_"I have created over a thousand blades,_  
_Unaware of loss, nor aware of gain."_

"I'll do it myself!" shouted Hall, approaching Shirou and pulling a small handgun from his lab coat.

_"I have withstood pain to create many weapons."_

He thought of Saber, laying there dying. He thought of Sakura, being consumed by the darkness of the Holy Grail.

_"I have no regrets, this is the only path."_

He felt the barrel of the gun push against his head.

Hall pushed down on the trigger...

**_"My whole life is Unlimited Blade Works!"_**

It was different...

But that was alright...

He wasn't like Archer anyways...

And he never would be...

He would follow his ideals the right way, and become a hero, just like Kiritsugu wanted.

The world around them was set ablaze.

He remembered Rin's words, about the Reality Marble being a harmful weapon...

He didn't care at that moment.

Saber was dying, he would do anything to help her.

His Reality Marble flared to life.

Saber's eyes snapped open just as the world began to burn away, she gasped for air as mana flowed into her. Excess energy flowed out of her body in a bright light, and she was brought back from the throws of death.

The endless horizon beckoned to Shirou...

The swords surrounding him were everlasting... infinite...

This was Emiya Shirou's world, and he would do in it as he saw fit.

Hall pulled the trigger just as Shirou turned to him...

A bullet in the same shoulder as the lance...

Lancer jumped back.

Shirou moved to disarm Hall. He pushed his wrist forward and pulled the Doctor's fingers. With a swift movement, Shirou broke the man's wrist, causing him to drop the gun.

Hall knelt down, gritting his teeth in pain, "Kill him Berserker!" he shouted.

"Get up Saber!" yelled Shirou.

Shirou raised his hand, and a group of swords dislodged themselves from the ground.

With one simple movement, he could send them raining down on Berserker...

Emiya Shirou was ready...


	11. Chapter 8 Pt3

Berserker was fast.

Faster than Shirou's eyes could follow.

Still holding the swords in midair with his will, he reached down and pulled a new from the ground with his free hand. Yes, this one was familiar, as were all the others. He didn't bother to look, he already knew what it was a copy simply by touching it. Endless information flowed through his mind. This sword was created by a blacksmith in the middle ages, a blacksmith Shirou and Saber knew all too well.

It was a simple sword, yet it was elegant.

It was the first real sword Arturia had used in her life.

Berserker charged forward with his shield, clashing mindlessly with the King's ancient sword.

Shirou held his stance, but was pushed back from the pure brute strength of the beast in front of him.

Berserker grinned madly, all he knew was that he was killing something, and that was all that mattered to his fractured mind.

Arturia's sword held against the blow, but a few more hits of that caliber were bound to make it shatter, copy or no.

He brought his hand down, and the rain of swords started towards the opponent in front of him.

Berserker only cared about his prey...

Which is why the endless number of swords easily impaled him, pinning him to the ground as he went through a mad rage. The screams and shouts coming from Berserker proved his madness. Those swords pinning him to the ground were keeping him from his victim, that was something the beast could not stand for.

"Dammit," cursed Hall, standing up slowly, still clutching his broken wrist. "What is this place?" He shouted at the sword mage, "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

'Do you have any idea what this means Shirou? If other magi find out you have a reality marble they will send an army after you, you won't even last a day!'

"I won't stand for this!" screamed Hall.

Lancer moved, but Saber was already on top of her.

A sword pushing into her right shoulder...

Saber impaled the other woman and pulled Excalibur up in a forceful motion, efectively cleaving Lancer's arm from her body. The chinese warrior gritted her teeth, going to one knee.

Kaguya's eyes widened at the sudden turn of events, "Lancer!" She rushed to her Servant's side to help her stand, Saber did not interfere, "Why won't you just kill us?" She turned and glared at the King, being sure to trace her every word with venom, "You've won haven't you?"

"We are not here to kill you," she said simply.

Ilya, having been a simple spectator up until that point, walked slowly towards Shirou. The red sun that seemed to be miles away slowly receded into the horizon, and Emiya Shirou's world was burnt away just as quickly as it had formed. Berserker was left lying in a bloody mess, snarling at the victim that got away from him. Shirou knelt down to the snow haired girl, "Are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded, "Close your eyes Onii-chan."

He did as she said, and he felt her small hands touch his forehead gently. A second later his mind felt like it was pulled from his body.

He heard Ilya's voice, 'Rin, Archer, Lillian...'

It was but a split second, but when Shirou returned to himself it felt like an eternity had passed. He took a deep breath and stood, trying not to let himself become dizzy.

Hall scrambled to pick up the weapon he had dropped earlier. He grasped it desperately, aiming for Shirou...

His hand was severed, and he let out a blood curdling scream, "I would suggest not doing anything until our companions arrive," said Saber softly, sheathing her sword.

"Yes, that would indeed be wise, after all, we wouldn't want anything too horrible to happen."

The entire area froze. The sounds of the night seemed to cease, and everything around them held an uncomfortable weight to it. "After all," continued Zouken, stepping towards them from the entrance of the mansion, "We wouldn't want my grand-daughter to end up doing anything hasty, now would we?"

'Why didn't I sense him?' thought Shirou, 'I can't feel any odo from him at all!'

Rin's training had paid off in the aspect that he was now a decent apprentice, he was still not able to perform magic beyond his sword specialty, but he had reached the point where he could sense when a mage was nearby. The fact that he could not sense Zouken implied one of two things, either Zouken was too weak in magical energy to spot...

The old man approached Hall slowly, a grim smile adorning his features.

Saber moved to stop him.

Her sword descended, but she was cast aside with ease.

Assassin grinned.

... Or someone was masking his presence as well as their own.

'Impossible,' thought Shirou, 'I killed him!'

"That was a rather uncomfortable ordeal," mumbled Assassin.

'How stupid of me,' thought Shirou, 'Zouken is Assassin's master, I didn't have a chance to make him revoke the Command Spell, of course Assassin is still alive.'

Ilya glared at the old man approaching Hall.

Zouken laughed, "Girl, if you think such low level mystic eyes will work on me, you have a long was to go. Oh, I forgot, you'll be dead within a few years, no need to practice then."

Hall gritted his teeth as Assassin and Zouken approached him.

Shirou projected Kanshou and Bakuya, closing the distance between himself and Zouken in an instant.

He felt a dagger pierce his gut, and was thrown back before he could identify what had happened. Kanshou and Bakuya shattered, their only connection to the world being so violently cut caused them to explode into invisible shrapnel. Shirou tumbled over the rubble of the mansion's destroyed wing. He felt something snap and felt a sharp pain in his arm when he reached the final landing.

"If you think you can surprise me twice boy," said Assassin, "Then you are living in a dream world."

"Shirou!" shouted Saber.

Assassin descended...

And Hall's head was torn from his body with one simple movement.

"NO!" Ilya screamed.

Shirou's world began to blur...

Hall's body fell to the ground with a dull thud...

_'You can feel it, can't you?'_

"Yes," he whispered.

_'With every Servant she loses a bit of herself, I suggest you hurry.'_

Ilya frowned and ran to Shirou, "Onii-chan!" She gasped when she reached him. His right arm was horribly broken in two places, and in one the bone was protruding from the skin.

Saber gritted her teeth, she could only take a defensive stance in front of Kaguya and Lancer.

"What are you doing?" shouted Kaguya, "Why are you protecting us? Run!"

Saber glanced over her shoulder, "I am protecting you because it is my mission," she said softly.

"Is your Master crazy?"

"Shirou did not give me an order, I fight by his side as his companion, he is my Master only in name, as much as I am his Servant."

Kaguya's eyes widened, "Wha..."

Saber's grip tightened around Excalibur, "The Holy Grail is an abomination, something that has to be destroyed. With each Servant killed or bested, the Holy Grail grows in strength, and if it becomes full... many people will suffer."

"But I thought..."

Saber interrupted her, "Whatever you thought, it is incorrect."

Zouken was walking towards Lancer and Saber, slowly, as if he knew they would not run.

Lancer pulled softly away from her Master. She reached down to retrieve her weapon with her remaining left arm. Kaguya's breath hitched, "What are you doing?"

Lancer stepped to Saber's side, "Your fight is an honorable one King, I will join."

Saber nodded.

Zouken's steps stopped, "Kill them," he said simply.

Assassin disappeared.

"Be on guard," said Saber, "He will try every trick to kill us, this will not be a fair fight."

The one-armed Servant nodded in acknowledgment.

Daggers sprouted from the shadows.

Saber and Lancer moved quickly, both converging around Kaguya, swatting the weapons away with relative ease.

"Two lovely women," Assassin's voice surrounded them, "It seems to be my lucky night."

A shadow...

Lancer moved in the blink of an eye, leaving Saber to guard her Master.

The street lamp in front of the mansion...

Lancer cleaved the lamp in two. Assassin gritted his teeth after being exposed. He moved for Lancer, but was caught off guard when her weapon pierced his stomach. He coughed and felt blood surface in his mouth, "For someone with only one arm, you are a quick one."

The warrior stayed silent driving her lance even further into his gut.

He brought his cloak up, exposing a knife...

Lancer's eyes widened and she jumped back at the last moment.

The knife went for her throat...

Assassin grinned, "You are lovely."

It was a simple phrase.

Lancer brought her other arm up to defend from the Noble Phantasm...

A muderer who crept through the streets of London, praying on young and lovely women and prostitutes, raping them and slitting their throats...

The joy of a serial killer...

Lancer's arm was cut deeply from the elbow to her wrist.

"I'm surprised you managed to avoid that, it would have cut your throat," said Assassin softly.

Saber made to move forward...

"Stop," said Lancer, "This fight is mine, you are the only one who can suffeciantly protect my Master, I am too wounded to do so."

"But..."

Lancer smiled softly, "I am trusting you King of Britain."

Saber hesitated, gritting her teeth, but nodded in confirmation. However Saber felt at that moment, Lancer was completely right, charging in to help her would only get Kaguya killed by Zouken. Her first instinct was to charge for the old man, but if she killed him...

Sakura would suffer even further...

Shirou would not allow that...

* * *

"Senpai looked pale this morning, so I thought I'd stay behind to keep an eye on him, when he said he was staying home I became worried."

Saber frowned, "That is hardly productive Sakura, Tohsaka and I are here to take care of Shirou, you should head to school."

"Saber-san, it is my job to take care of Senpai if he falls ill, I cannot trust that to anyone else."

"Shirou is perfectly healthy, he just has some training to catch up on, I have been away for a month."

"You constantly beat Senpai in the dojo, every time he walks out of there he's covered in bruises!"

* * *

Saber shook her head.

No...

She herself could not allow that. As much as she wanted to, disposing of Zouken was not an option.

Sakura was her friend as well...

Yet...

At the rate things were going...

Lancer would be defeated and join the ranks of the Holy Grail.

This could not be allowed either.

Just as she thought this...

"Trace, on!"

"No Onii-chan, don't push yourself!"

She turned, and her eyes widened. She had thought her Master incapacitated, but he was standing there, holding a bow as black as the night itself, notching an arrow aimed straight at Assassin.

He let it off, and true to its mark, it impaled Assassin in the shoulder.

The Servant was blown back by the pure force of the arrow.

He collided with the wall of the mansion, his arm was almost completely blown from his body.

Shirou gritted his teeth, bearing the pain of his broken arm as he notched another black arrow.

"You would make a good Archer."

Shirou hesitated when he heard the voice. He turned, only to see Archer standing at his side, a smirk adorning his features. The noble thief held his bow as well, standing directly at Shirou's side, both of them aimed at Assassin, "We can't kill him right? We'll just have to make him incapable of moving for a while."

Shirou nodded, "Right..."

Zouken gritted his teeth...

"Long time no see old man..."

The worm mage turned at the sound of a lilting British voice, and nearly felt his anger boil over, "Lillian," he growled.

"Just thought I'd drop by and take a vacation in Japan, it's not bad if I do say so myself."

Saber's eyes widened when Rin appeared at her side with a smirk, "Looks like you guys could use some help," she said gently.

Saber nodded, "Hall is dead, Zouken is the target."

"On it."

Lillian and Rin converged on the old man, who could barely defend himself with a shield. He threw his cane out, sending a magical shock-wave bursting from his body...

Rin and Lillian were blown back.

Archer and Shirou released their arrows.

Assassin's eyes widened...

His legs were gone in the next moment...

A large hole and a pile of rubble were left in his place when he was blown back from the concussive force.

Zouken desperately tried to get away, hobbling as fast as he could...

He was suddenly outnumbered...

His plan had only involved the three Servants there, not four, and especially not the two mages that had appeared.

He felt fear...

A deep seeded fear, that manifested itself in the remains of his very soul...

Fear of death...

**'I don't want to die...'**

Rin was upon him without hesitation, pulling a handful of jewels from her pocket, 'It won't do to only use a few on him,' she thought, 'It's better to be safe.' She approached him quickly, grabbing his cane and tossing it to the side. While he was a powerful magi, that did not change the fact that his body was old and decrepit.  
He should have died hundreds of years ago.

The jewels dropped at the old man's feet.

It didn't matter what type she used...

As long as they held magical energy...

It was illegal practice to actively cut a person's magical circuit...

Worst case scenario she would be reprimanded and scolded...

It was worth it...

"Schneiden Sie die Bande..."

Zouken screamed when electricity coursed through his body.

The old man fell to the ground, twitching...

'We have to move quickly, we can't allow him to find another body, this is our last chance.'

"We need to move!" shouted Rin.

The date had already changed.

If they did not find Sakura, and Zouken was allowed to possess another person...

Then all this was for naught...

"Saber, grab Zouken, don't let him out of your sight!"

"Yes Rin."

Kaguya frowned, "What is going on?"

"No time to explain," said Saber.

Shirou let the bow in his hands fade away, and took a deep breath...

'Sakura...'


	12. Chapter 9

**Day 9: The Shadow Beast**

"I see, so it's finally happened, are you sure you have it under control?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. Gregori could tell that Lillian was trying to gather her thoughts, and knew it was best not to pester her in a situation such as this. "Yes..." she finally replied, though with a good amount of hesitation. Her calm voice was faltering slightly.

"Do not lie to me Lillian," said Gregori, his voice laced with a small warning for his pupil mage, "If things get out of hand I will have no choice but to inform the council."

"You can't do that!"

Her shout was dulled by the phone line it traveled through, making it even less effective, "You know they will call for a purge, the best thing to do would be to break the contract with your servent and return to London. I have already prepared a plane for you."

"No, Archer... he needs me, this town needs me, if you call a purge more people will suffer!"

Gregori gritted his teeth, "Very well," he said reluctantly, "But this is your final warning Lillian, unless this 'Shirou' can cull the beast that has consumed humans...  
then I will have no other option. You have one day left, I suggest you do not fail if you want to live."

"Bastard."

Venom leaked from her voice, yet the High Mage Gregori did not care.

To him this was simply a business transaction.

"One day Lillian, after that I will keep silent no longer."

Lillian gritted her teeth, closing her cell phone and trying not to scream out in a rage.

The night was silent after she hung up.

Above her, up several hundred stone steps, was the Ryudou Temple. Gregori was merciless, only giving her a day to stop this monstrosity that was known as Sakura Matou.  
However, deep in her heart she knew that this would be her last chance. She turned to face the group behind her. Every single one of them looked like they were on the edge of a knife, barely holding onto what little they knew in this world. She was sure that she was not in a much better state.

Zouken's unconscious body hit the ground, Saber held no regard for taking care with such a monster.

"How did it go?" asked Shirou.

"We have one day," whispered Lillian.

Kaguya shuffled her feet, "Will someone please tell me what's happening."

Lancer stood by her Master's side, arm still missing from her body, even though the wound had closed long ago as they were on their way to the temple.

Saber sighed and shook her head, "The Holy Grail is not what it seems."

"I predicted as much," said Lancer softly, "It seems that we must form a mutual alliance. It would be difficult to call ourselves heroes if we let such a thing run wild.  
We must eliminate it."

"No!" snapped Shirou.

Silence permeated the air.

"We... we can't do that to Sakura."

Ilya tugged on Shirou's sleeve, "Onii-chan, Sakura has most likely been devoured. It's not good to rush into things."

"I can't believe that! We came here to save her, and that's what we're gonna do, no matter what! Why do you think I didn't kill Assassin or Zouken, if we do that, she'll only..."

A hacking cough interrupted the small debate between the new team, "It's useless," ground out Zouken, "She is too far gone to help, she has already absorbed half of the servants, there is no way to help her in her current state."

Shirou wheeled on the old man, "You! You did this to her!"

Zouken grinned, as if he heard a funny joke from an old friend. "And what were you doing Emiya? Sitting idly by while she cooked breakfast for you every morning? You used her just as much as I did."

Shirou gritted his teeth, "I didn't know she was..."

Zouken laughed, "No young man, you simply did not want to see the horrible truth for yourself. You call yourself a hero, but you can't even save one suffering girl from a decrepit old mage like me."

"Shut up..."

"Shirou..." Saber laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Do not listen to this man, he died long ago."

Rin walked to Zouken, glaring down at the helpless worm mage, "You make me sick. You're... you're so afraid of dying that you can't just shut up and take it. You play with worms, but the truth is... you are a worm. You're a parasite, getting into people's heads and screwing around with them. That ends today. You will pay for what you did to my sister. Shirou is still learning, but he is a hundred times the magus you will ever be."

Shirou's eyes widened, "Rin..."

The girl resisted the urge to stomp the old mage's face into the ground, but did not bother to stop her verbal assault. "What you don't understand is that you've already lost Zouken. We are all here to stop whatever is in there, and if you even try to interfere, you will die without even noticing. Sakura is my sister... no matter what happens. I don't care what her name is and I don't care where she lives. But I will DIE before I let you lay your disgusting hands on her again. Shirou, we're wasting time with a defeated pile of worms, we need to go get Sakura."

Shirou could only nod in agreement.

It seemed like the steps above them stretched on forever.

"Rin," interrupted Saber, "Is it alright to just leave him here? He might posses someone."

Rin scoffed, "It's okay, I just wanted to rub it in his face that he was going to die alone, there's no need to guard him, Assassin can't even help him now, they are both on the verge of death."

Lillian sighed, "I say we kill him just to be on the safe side."

"No," said Rin, "He hasn't suffered enough."

The group began to climb the stairs wordlessly, not even looking back to see if Zouken tried to scramble off.

The old man's first instinct was to find a new body he could consume and possess...

But why?

Why had her words rung so true in his mind?

Coward...

Afraid of death...

Insignificant...

Old...

He could not stand, he could not crawl.

'I need... a new body...'

'No, you need to die.'

His arms and legs were numb, his cane was too far away for him to reach.

No, he still had a backup plan, the worm he implanted in Sakura, that's it, when she was complete he would absorb her very essence. Just the thought of it made him grin maniacally.

But something was wrong...

Maybe she knew, maybe she knew the worm was inside her...

But then that would mean...

His mind snapped.

Worms...

Death...

Engineered to be...

Artificially immortal...

DEATH...

DEATH on this slab of ground...

His very essence would disolve.

The Tohsaka girl was right, he had lost...

He had lost everything...

With nothing for his cowardly hands to grasp, he started to laugh...

"Hah..."

"Haha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The last of Zouken Matou slipped away.

It was so funny, better than the joke he heard at the beginning of the first grail war.

How did that joke go again?

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He was dying a cowards death on this slab of ground.

Sakura had found him out.

Those Servents and mages were going to destroy the grail.

It was so FUNNY.

His victory was so close, and yet he could not grasp it.

The final string was cut...

He laughed and laughed and laughed...

His artificial lungs were suffocating, but it was hilarious.

And just like that...

Matou Zouken passed away, leaving nothing of worth behind but suffering and carnage.

* * *

The gate of Ryudou temple was open to them. The endless stone steps that seemed to go on forever were finally behind them. "I don't understand," whispered Rin, "Where is she? I can't sense her anywhere."

Shirou saw...

His mind flashed, a cavern, an underground place full of pain and heartache, "She's below the temple, we're wasting time, c'mon!"

The place was much too quiet.

As they entered the temple itself, their steps began to echo through the wood.

"Something is wrong," said Kaguya, "Shouldn't there have been resistance? Sakura's mind is almost completely corrupted."

Shirou wheeled on her, "Because she's not the shadow!"

"Wha... but we..."

"Sakura doesn't want this," he said through gritted teeth, "She wants us to find her and stop this madness."

"You really... believe in her don't you?" asked Lillian.

Rin nodded firmly, "Yes, WE do, now stop dilly dallying and let's move, the more time we waste the worse it gets."

Before they could step forward, the shadows on the wall began to move, "Too late!" shouted Rin, "This is what you get for not listening to the mage!"

Shirou thought he heard a scream, for an instant, he saw Sakura, waking him up in his tool shed...

Tucking her hair behind her ear...

'Get down!'

A phantom voice.

"Duck!" shouted Shirou.

He hit the ground...

Scrapping and breaking wood was all he could hear for a split second.

He could still sense everyone's magical energy, luckily they had listened to him.

The thing floated above them, eyeing them curiously. Was this group of fleshy things not its meal? Why was it hesitating again?

"Lancer!" shouted Kaguya.

Hua Mulan coughed up blood, her chest was on fire, she had tackled Kaguya at the last split second, the fact that a simple graze was enough to split her chest open...

Whatever this creature was... it was beyond her abilities as a Lancer. "Don't!" shouted Shirou.

The creature turned towards Kaguya and Lancer. If it had a discernible shape it would have tilted what could have been its head. Funny, it was so hungry... yet it heard a soft voice. 'Don't... don't kill senpai and his friends...'

Lancer moved, Shirou yelled for her to stop...

Kaguya flinched and shut her eyes, "Lancer, use it!"

Shirou saw something under Kaguya's sleeve flash, it was her command spell...

Lancer stopped mid strike and jumped back, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in two thanks to her Master's command. She twisted her lance with her remaining arm and stabbed it into the ground. "Foolish creature," she said softly, "You will bow before the Emperor's Army!"

Shirou saw a flash of light before the shadow disappeared.

It was a split second before another one appeared, another flash of light...

He heard the sound of metal, horses' hooves, screaming.

The entire hall was lit up and devoured by the battle cries of ancient China's warriors.

"Go!" shouted Lancer, blood seeping from her lips, "These creatures are no match for me!"

Shirou hesitated, but knew it wouldn't do any good to get in Lancer's way, especially when using her noble phantasm. The rest of the group followed him hesitantly. Ilya walked by Shirou, clinging the bottom of his shirt. He did not know whether it was out of fear or if it was to reassure him, but still... he pressed on.

The temple's basement was easily found, but the steps descended farther than they should have. This was it, Shirou could feel it.

Lillian swallowed the dry air in her mouth, "So... this is it."

Archer laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "It's been a pleasure working with you dear."

Lillian felt heat rise to her face, "N... Now isn't the time for that!"

Shirou's eyes did not leave the endless depth of the stairs.

He knew as soon as he descended, there was no turning back for any of them.

"Shirou," said Saber softly, "We have done this once already."

"Y... yeah, you're right, I wonder why I'm so nervous," he said with a bitter laugh.

The descent itself was completely silent, save for the sound of shoes and boots hitting the stone steps. It seemed to go into the core of the Earth itself, and Shirou found it hard to believe that something like this was under Ryudou temple all this time. He could sense Sakura getting closer, she did not feel normal... as they reached the bottom of the stairs Shirou's lungs contracted from the sheer magical energy.

The cavern was huge, and seemed to stretch on in darkness for miles.

"Something like this... was under Fuyuki city?" whispered Lillian.

Rin frowned, "My Ancestors helped build this place when the Holy Grail was created. I don't know what they intended to do, but the result is hurting my sister."

"I don't think your ancestors intended for any of this to happen Rin," said Saber.

When Shirou finally caught his breath he shook his head and attempted to clear his thoughts, he realized something was not right about this place.

"Lillian, perhaps it is best if we stayed here," interjected Archer.

"But... the Grail is just ahead, we have to..."

"I don't know how long Lancer can hold against those monsters, but Kaguya will surely flee when her defense falters. It is best if someone remains here to ensure that Shirou and his friends are not interrupted."

"Fine," she said bitterly, "But you owe me for this Archer."

Leaving Archer and Lillian behind, the remaining four continued to walk through the wide expanse of rock. The heat and pure magical energy surrounding them was almost unbearable. Shirou was having trouble walking straight, his body was still getting used to having his magic circuit open, and it did not help when endless amounts of energy poured into him like this.

On the verge of collapsing, they arrived at what appeared to be a steep plateau. On the top of it was a monster the likes of which they had never seen. A dark egg pulsing with magical energy, begging for the suffering of all living things. It was at least thirty stories tall and fifty meters wide. It was some sort of embryo.

Its mere presence made Shirou's stomach churn in disgust, he felt like throwing up.

_'This is Angra Manyuu, All Evils of the World. This is the Holy Grail that people suffer and die for.'_

A voice in his head, familiar yet foreign.

_'Shirou, killing this creature means that I die with it...'_

Shirou felt the temperature rise, 'Avenger,' he thought.

_'You took me from that embryo, that false Holy Grail. I will assist you in destroying this monster that has plagued me for thousands of years.'_

"I'm glad you made it... sen... pai..."

A shiver ran down Shirou's spine, and he could feel Avenger's hackles raise.

_'Do not trust it!'_

Sakura stood on the edge of the small cliff, looking down on them.

Ilya's grip on Shirou's shirt tightened.

She was... wrong...

Her hair was silver...

And black tendrils wrapped around her, as if to form a dress.

Sakura giggled, "You even brought all of our friends."

"Sakura" said Shirou softly, "You can stop this now, Zouken is gone..."

Sakura smiled softly, tucking her hair behind her ear, "I can't do that senpai, it just feels... so good. That... Mulan was it? I liked her, it was too bad her Master got away. You're all here though, so I feel better... I even got to absorb Rider" She sighed wistfully.

As if remembering something, Sakura looked surprised, "Oh, I completely forgot to apologize for that fight I had with you Saber, here's a present. Please accept it."

Sakura raised her hand.

Shirou's eyes widened, "Saber, get away!"

It was too late, the shadow had already engulfed her pure white dress.

It burned her very essence.

Shirou gritted his teeth.

"Do you like it Saber-san? It's my thanks for taking care of senpai when I was away."

Saber could feel her mind slipping away...

Something was creeping into her...

Something...

Someth...

"SABER!"

"That won't do Senpai, please just watch, I'm sure you'll enjoy the new Saber when it's finished."

* * *

Breath...

Breathing was hard...

It took too much effort...

It was like she was drowning.

Excalibur's comfortable weight was gone, she couldn't see anything.

Air... she needed air...

Her mind faltered.

She saw her men turning on her.

She saw her blood on that hill after the final battle.

Shirou was there.

He smirked, "Worthless," he spat.

No...

No, he wouldn't say that!

Her breath hitched and she caught a lungful of air, as if coming up to the surface of a lake.

'...SABER!...'

Her world shattered to pieces.

She tried to reach out but couldn't.

Her surroundings disappeared.

Darkness.

She saw Merlin's smiling face, "I suppose you were right Arturia."

"Old... man?"

She found herself in the Emiya house's dojo, sitting on her knees formally. Merlin mimicked her and laughed deeply, "So used to customs outside of your own country," he said softly.

"Have I really... changed that much?" she wondered.

The old wizard smiled wide and wrapped an arm around her, "No, you haven't, but that does not mean you haven't grown. You said that many people were smiling, do you want to know the reason I cautioned you against pulling Caliburn free from the stone?"

"You said it was because a King must not be a human, they must rule in order to help their country, they have to devote their entire self."

Merlin laughed deeply, "Yes, that is true, I thought that would stop you, but you were always so stubborn, just like your father."

"Merlin, am I dying?"

He frowned, "Do you wish to die?"

"No... it's not just England that needs me anymore, it's my duty, I have to save everyone."

"That is too much for one person to bear Arturia. Do not lie to yourself."

"I suppose... there is another reason."

The wizard smirked, "Yes?"

"I found out what it means to be alive. I met someone."

Merlin chuckled, "Oh little one, your father must be rolling in his grave to hear you say such a thing!"

"I suppose he would be."

"Well," said Merlin abruptly, "I'll be going now, you just accidentally let the pigs out of the pen, the blacksmith will be furious."

"I don't remember doing that."

"Of course you don't, you're only four," he said with a grin. "The rest of this... is up to you Arturia."

Just like that... Merlin was gone.

The weight of her desperation returned.

She stood as the dojo around her darkened.

In front of her was a shadow, a dark being that resembled herself. Black armor, pulsating veins, yellow eyes. Excalibur was corrupted by this creature.

"Who are you?" asked Saber.

The mirror of darkness did not reply.

An alternate self.

Unless she escaped this prison, Shirou would have to lay his eyes on her like this.

She would not allow it.

She would rather die.

She would kill this creature with her bare hands...

She didn't need Excalibur for something like this.

The alternate Saber approached her with a calm stride, no expression betrayed its intentions. That thing had no emotions, something like this couldn't possibly beat her. Not waiting for it to attack, Saber closed the distance between them.

Alter Saber swung down the corrupted Excalibur, making to cleave her in two.

The King easily side stepped the blow, rushing forward and bringing her leg down on the dark being's knee.

She heard a crack, but Alter Saber showed no visible signs of pain.

Saber spun on her pivot foot, avoiding another lethal blow from the dark sword and repositioning herself behind the creature.

She reached around the thing's neck and brought her arms in tight, closing off what she hoped was the creature's source of air.

The dark sword was dropped to the ground, and Alter Saber writhed in protest, clawing at Saber's arms as she choked it.

Saber pushed her foot forward and kicked out to the right, causing the creature's right leg to give out with another sickening crack.

The dojo continued to fade away around them.

This thing was not her...

If it was it would have been a match...

With a final brutal movement, Saber snapped the neck of the thing in her grasp, causing it to let out an inhuman scream.

Sakura's eyes widened, "Wha..."

Excalibur flashed, disposing of the darkness engulfing Saber. The King gritted her teeth, "If you think such a creature can defeat me, you have a lot to learn."

The possessed girl lifted her arm once more, and beings of shadow surrounded the group. "Stay behind me Ilya," said Shirou softly.

"Onii-chan, you can't beat these things."

Shirou ignored Ilya, stepping forward and pushing her back, "You think Sakura actually wants to kill us?"

Ilya was silent, she didn't know the answer.

Saber reached up and pulled the ribbon out of her hair, digging her feet into the cavern's floor.

Rin had fifteen jewels left.

Shirou was tired, and projecting when surrounded by so much energy would put strain on his circuit.

"We're outnumbered," said Rin softly.

Shirou smirked, "Looks like twenty."

Saber went into stance, "Hmph, that's a little unfair," she said softly.

"True," Shirou grinned, "For them."

"You have a plan for this?" asked Rin.

"Yeah," said Shirou, "We kill every single one of these bastards, and then take out that egg."

Sakura smiled softly, "Why are you so difficult senpai? I could give you everything you know."

"Now what kind of fun would that be?" he asked jokingly, "You of all people know I like to earn my keep."

The shadows converged on them in an instant.

Shirou moved, "Trace, on..."

Kanshou and Bakuya cleaved one in two, opening a path for the sword mage, he charged forward to avoid getting cramped in the group attack. He skidded to a halt from his sprint and used his momentum to turn on his pivot foot. The short swords flew from his hands, impaling two more shadows.

Screams of these monsters echoed throughout the large chamber.

Sakura gritted her teeth...

Saber stepped forward, cleaving three of the monster's in half with one fluid movement from Excalibur. She dug her feet down, not ceasing her movements for a single moment.

Rin let two jewels loose. They exploded into fire, holding back the creatures with their sheer magical energy. She held out her hand.

"Atzen," she whispered.

The flames extended, engulfing the creatures with their tranquil fury.

"Why..." muttered Sakura.

The screams continued...

"Why..."

Their movements were so fluid, perfectly in sync with each other as they cut down shadow after shadow...

They were winning...

Sakura erupted in fury, the shadows dissipated.

"Why won't you let me feel good?"

Shadows converged on them once more, but these were not creatures, they were pure darkness.

"Saber!" shouted Shirou.

The King stabbed her sword into the ground, holding whatever was approaching them at bay.

"Sakura, listen to me!"

She glared at Shirou, "You never do anything but lie senpai. You said you would protect me."

Saber gritted her teeth, "Shirou, we are running out of time! We have to do something."

_'That's right, you came here... to kill it...'_

Avenger...

_'I am not strong, but I will give you what I have.'_

Shirou felt something creep into him.

It was like something was crawling all over him.

Saber looked on in shock.

"What is it?" asked Shirou.

His body was warm.

He felt... heavier... but more powerful...

His eyes burned, but it wasn't uncomfortable, as far as he could remember he was used to this feeling.

Sakura froze, "Sen...pai?"

Tattoos, endless tattoos...

Covering every inch...

Every sin known to man...

Black hair...

Burning eyes...

Indomitable will...

His magic circuit flared to life.

He saw an endless selection of weapons, not just swords.

Only one would really work.

"Trace... on..."

The sword that was closest to his heart.

He felt the weight in his hands, it was heavier than what he was used to, but as soon as its history entered his mind it became more comfortable. "Saber..." he said softly.  
"You and me, let's finish this... just like back then."

The King nodded firmly, pulling her sword from the ground.

The shadows closed in on them.

Shirou was not afraid, it was no match for two Excaliburs.

Sakura fell to her knees.

Shirou and Saber jumped and ran for the woman who had become a shadow.

She knew this was the end...

She felt so... sad...

Funny... the thing in her mind said she would be free of sadness.

Saber and Shirou were closing in...

This was it...

Their swords...

So beautiful...

Shirou and Saber raised their arms to strike.

"EX..."

Sakura saw the truth.

'Senpai,' she thought, 'You did save me, every day... I was in pain, but seeing you every day... made that pain go away...'

"CALIBUR!"

The two beams of light intersected...

And they passed over Sakura, as if creating a doorway of light.

The dark embryo burst, letting out a horribly loud moan of death. The cave shook from the sheer concussive force of the blow.

And Sakura was left on her knees, eyes widened in surprise as her hair once again began to darken.

She felt energy leave her... and she felt lighter.

"Senpai... why?"

Shirou felt his body lighten, and he felt the tattoos recede as the embryo died.

As the Holy Grail burned, he felt that at last, it was over.

He smiled at Sakura, "Because, I promised to protect you, and I don't go back on my promises."

**Final Day: Back to Normal**

"No..."

Lillian could hear Gregori's grip on the phone tighten, "But thats..."

"I will not withdraw my appeal, you stood by while an innocent girl went insane, and watched as a town went to hell in a handbasket. Your duty as a mage is to ensure that things like this do not occur, therefore, you should not have a place on the council."

"Bitch..."

Lillian smirked, hanging up the phone and biting her bottom lip, trying to supress a giggle.

"Lillian!" came a shout from upstairs.

"What?" she snapped.

A light chuckle was the only response she got, "Lillian, you must tame that temper of yours."

Archer approached her from the foot of the stairs, "What do you want?"

"The faucets broken," he said simply.

"You're useless," she spat, "If you can't get hot water just let it run for a few minutes."

Lillian pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned back on the sofa, wondering lightly how the mages in Fuyuki were holding up.

* * *

Kaguya gritted her teeth, looking at her watch for the hundredth time.

'Still not here,' she thought, annoyed.

Finally the academy gives her students, and they're late to their first lesson...

"This sucks," she muttered to herself.

The train station was noisy and had too many people, she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"Ah! Are you... Kaguya sensei!"

Kaguya put on a smile, trying to hide her frustration, "Yes I am, do you know where everyone else is?"

"Um... they got pushed back to a different train."

Kaguya's eyebrow twitched. "Well," she said, taking a deep breath, "I suppose it can't be helped."

* * *

"Senpai... Senpai, wake up, it's time to go to school."

"Mrgh." Shirou brought a hand to his face and let out a large yawn, sitting up from the wall. 'I guess I fell asleep in the shed again,' he mused. "Good morning Sakura."

"Breakfast is already done, so please hurry to the living room."

He looked around the shed, noticing that Saber was nowhere to be found. 'She must have not come out here last night, she was probably out cold in my room,' he thought.

He made his way to the dining room in no particular hurry.

When he got there everyone was already sitting at the table, including Saber, Taiga, Ilya, and an uninvited mage.

"I thought you said you'd go back to your mansion."

"Sakura insisted that I stay," said Rin with a huff.

Taiga sighed and shook her head, "I didn't know you were such a deviant Emiya-kun, letting so many girls stay at your house."

"It's not like I have a choice!"

"That's what they all say," she mocked.

Saber looked up at him, "Shirou, do not let yourself forget..."

"Yeah yeah, training in the dojo after school, got it."

"Good, I wouldn't want you falling behind."

'More like you wouldn't miss an opportunity to beat the crap out of me,' he thought bitterly.

He sat at the table and flipped on the morning news as an instinct.

The newscaster popped up with her usual smile, "And it seems for the first time in weeks, Fuyuki city can finally rest easy. With the strange string of murders occuring across the suburban and downtown area suddenly ceasing a month ago. It is not known whether an assailant has been identified, but..."

"Who wants seconds?" asked Sakura cheerfully, completely ignoring the news.

Shirou couldn't blame her, he would have done the same exact thing.

Saber held up her now empty bowl, and Sakura cheerfully complied.

The newscaster continued, "However, with no more mysterious murders, it seems Fuyuki is still ill at ease. Sightings across not only the city, but the country as well have shown strange occurrences in the sky."

Shirou's fork clattered against the plate when he dropped it...

"Senpai!" shouted Sakura, "What's wrong?"

'Something... doesn't feel right...' he thought, gritting his teeth.

The worried cries of his friends fell on deaf ears.


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue: Under the Blue Moon**

"Shiki-sama..."

He felt something warm.

"Shiki-sama, sleeping in will make Akiha-sama very angry."

The black haired man rolled sideways, scrambling for the glasses he left on the headboard before opening his eyes.

He remembered last night... seeing Sensei again after everything that happened with Arcueid. Still... he knew that life was gone, thinking about it wouldn't do any good. "I'm up," he confirmed with a light yawn, standing from his bed, "Good morning Hisui, how are you today."

The maid smiled and nodded firmly, "I am doing well."

"That's good," he said, stretching his back, "I wouldn't like it if one of you was having a bad day."

"Shiki-sama, it appears you have received a letter, an invitation."

"An invitation?"

She nodded, letting her bright hair fall over her eyes slightly, "Yes, I do not know who sent it, but Akiha-sama seems to be troubled by it."

"Jeez, she's always worrying over the small things."

Hisui reached into the small pocket of her uniform and retrieved the envelope, putting it into his hands.

There was no return address on it.

"Hmm."

With no hesitation, he retrieved his knife from the small desk by his bed and cut open the envelope, letting the letter fall into his hands.

'The Midnight Tavern at nine o'clock, come alone.'

A chill raced down his spine.

"Shiki-sama?" asked Hisui softly, "Is something the matter?"

"N... no, I just feel a bit funny."

"Who is the letter from?"

"I don't know."

'But for some reason,' he thought, 'I know it's not good.'


End file.
